


Demon City Tokyo

by Shanejayell



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Silent Möbius (Anime 1998)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Horror, non-canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:01:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 32,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24828736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shanejayell/pseuds/Shanejayell
Summary: Attempting to gain occult power, SEELE opened a portal and unleashed demons on Earth. Now Yui Ikari's NERV must fight the demon hordes.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or situations from Neon Genesis Evangelion, they all belong to Gainax. This fanfiction will contain violence, sex and other nastiness, so if that's not your thing, I'd suggest skipping it.

Demon City Tokyo: A Evangelion Alternate Universe

News reporter Mayumi Yamagishi nervously sat in the waiting room, then picked up her recorder. Activating it she murmured, "Notes, June 17th, 2018. 2:00 pm. Waiting in the offices of NERV, the Japanese demon fighting agency, I wonder how we found ourselves in this situation? On September 3rd, in the year 2000 the arrival of something extra-dimensional destroyed Antarctica, flooding much of the world and disrupting the climate. Wars broke out, then were quickly ceased as a unknown force began killing humans and animals randomly across the world."

Mayumi looked off into the distance, at the sterile waiting room with white walls, a steel table and a few chairs scattered about. "Conventional firearms were useless," she noted, "even canon fire. Yet strangely bladed weapons could kill these things, if you could get close enough. Governments around the world scrambled to find a way to kill the monsters, and when Yui Ikari emerged with a solution, there was much rejoicing. Of course, the joy turned to horror when we finally saw what she proposed."

Footsteps out in the hall caused Mayumi to stop recording, instead concealing the device in her pocket. After a moment the door opened and a younger woman entered, her red-orange hair flowing down her back. She wore a simple black military style uniform, her expression intense and serious.

"Miss Langley Soryu?" Mayumi asked politely.

Asuka Langley Soryu nodded politely, "Yes." She walked to the other side of the table and pulled out the chair as she said curtly, "I understand you're here to interview me?"

"Yes, I an," Mayumi agreed politely. She took her recorder out, "Do you mind if I...?"

With a slight smile Asuka said, "Go ahead. I was listening to you talk over the security feed before I came in."

"You can't...," Mayumi looked outraged.

"Oh please," Asuka waved that off as she said, "you signed away your right to privacy when you came in here."

Mayumi wanted to argue with her, but Asuka was right. Hell, it probably said that exact thing on the agreement she had signed to get into the underground base. She puffed out a breath and tried to relax, running through her questions in her head. "Do you prefer Miss Soryu, Langley or Zeppelin?" she asked after a moment.

"Just Asuka is fine," she said wryly as she explained, "I'm not into formality as much as my Japanese hosts are."

"All right," Mayumi agreed. "You were the second demon hunter recruited by NERV through NERV-Germany, and have been the longest successful hunter. What has lead to your success?"

"My natural talent," Asuka said with no modestly. She smiled a bit sadly as she conceded, "And seeing the First Child's mistakes helped too."

"The First Child was Shinji Ikari," Mayumi remembered, "what mistakes were those?"

"He tried to control his youkai servant too lightly," Asuka said flatly, "that's why it turned on him eventually." She paused and added quietly, "Poor bastard."

"Youkai," Mayumi nodded thoughtfully, "that's what the NERV branch here calls the half demon servants, right?"

"Yes," Asuka agreed. "In each country where NERV operates they give them a different name, but they're all pale, red eyed human looking dolls to destroy demons." Darkly she added, "Just like one did Shinji."

"That was a... Kaowru model, right?" Mayumi remembered the good looking demon boy, "And you use a Rei model?"

"Yes, Shinji was paired with one of the first Kaworu types. He was charming, too charming, and I warned Shinji that he was up to something," Asuka grimaced. "I use a certain Rei clone," she added calmly. "I find they're easier to control and less tempermental than the other types."

"Are the rumors true that they're based on Yui Ikari's DNA?" Mayumi had to ask, even though she suspected Asuka was forbidden to answer.

Asuka shrugged, "You know I can't confirm or deny that."

Mayumi smiled, "I had to try." She realized she was near the end of her questions, "What do you think of Japan, Asuka?"

Asuka snickered softly. "I'd like it more if I could stop all the people making dojin of me in my combat suit," she admitted.

Mayumi had to chuckle, "Well, it is skin tight combat wear, and you are a famous public figure. I think it's kind of expected."

"Bleh," Asuka made a face.

Before another question could be asked a soft whooping sound of a alarm rang out. "What is...," Mayumi looked at Asuka questioningly.

"Demon attack," Asuka got up, the humor in her expression leeching away to be replaced by calm seriousness. She pushed back her sleeve to reveal a watch/communications link of military type, "Major Misato, what's our status?"

A woman Mayumi assumed was Misato replied calmly, "We're detecting a standard manifestation in Tokyo city limits. We'll have the transport readied in five."

"I'll get Rei, change into gear and meet the driver in seven minutes or so," Asuka promised then disconnected the link.

"Miss, I'm going to have to cut this short...," Asuka started.

"Take me with you," Mayumi begged as she got up out of her chair. "Please, no one's seen a live hunt, it could really help public support of NERV."

"It could also get you killed," Asuka commented as she hurried out of the meeting room and down a brightly lit hallway.

Mayumi hurried after the nearly running woman, "I'll sign every release you need."

As Asuka reached the changing rooms she activated her communicator and asked, "Put me through to Commander Ikari."

After a moment a calm but remote voice replied, "Yes, Asuka?"

"I've got a reporter here," Asuka opened up the door revealing her orange and red armor hanging on a hook along with what looked like several scaled down broadswords, "she wants to come along, and will sign any waivers and releases we ask for."

"Hmm," Yui Ikari sounded thoughtful as she considered the idea, "Miss Mayumi Yamagishi, you do know this will be dangerous? We do not have perfect methods for stopping the demons yet."

"I know," Mayumi answered her sincerely, "I'm aware of the danger, but it's something I have to see for myself."

"All right," Yui said briskly, "I've made a voice log of this conversation. You may accompany Asuka, but please be careful."

"I will, ma'am," Mayumi said sincerely.

"Asuka, I believe armor prepared for Shinji is still there. It should provide her with some protection," Yui noted.

"Right," Asuka sighed off, then informed the transport they might be a minute or two late.

Mayumi was astonished how easily Asuka stripped her then bodily pulled the cool blue cloth up her body. The clips were secured at her neck then a switch was hit on one wrist, causing the suit to retract to become skin tight. While combat armor it was light and flexible, and Mayumi was a bit embarrassed at how it revealed her more developed figure.

"Do you know how to use a weapon?" Asuka demanded as she pulled down a broadsword in it's sheath and slung it over her shoulder, the carrying strap across her chest.

"No," Mayumi admitted sheepishly.

Asuka took down what looked like a large, long knife, "This will do, but try not to draw it unless you see me getting eaten or something."

Mayumi paled as the seriousness of this began to seep in. "Right," she belted the weapon at her side then grabbed her recorder before hurrying after Asuka down the hall. They headed into a elevator that raced up at bone aching speeds, reaching the launch bay in less than half a minute.

"Aoba," Asuka demanded as they hurried to the modified van, "time!"

"Eight minutes, thirty seconds," Aoba noted, the long haired young man smiling wryly. "I've loaded Rei II into the cage, as requested."

"Is the incident location in the on-board computer?" Asuka asked calmly as she hustled Mayumi into the passenger side them hopped behind the wheel..

"Yup, ready to go," Aoga nodded seriously. As they peeled out he saluted, "Good luck!"

"Yeep!" Mayumi yelped as they raced out of NERV headquarters on the surface of Tokyo then jerked into a hard right turn. As she held on to seer life she felt a presence, turned and found herself staring into calm red eyes.

"Operative Soryu," the silver haired young woman sitting behind a thick security mesh looked at Mayumi curiously, "what is another operative doing here?"

Asuka looked at her, "She's not a operative, she's a guest. Rei, meet Mayumi. Mayumi, Rei is my youkai assistant."

"Partner," Rei corrected mildly, sitting cross legged on the truck floor.

"I never realized youkai would be so human," Mayumi blinked.

"I am not human," Rei corrected her calmly as she said, "you see, my DNA is over sixty five percent demon. If it were not for my programming and this protective cage, my first instinct would be to tear you apart."

Mayumi paled a bit, "Right."

"And her other instinct would be to breed with you," Asuka noted as they pulled into a side street, police tape and army units spread out to maintain a perimeter.

"Ehh?!" Mayumi yelped as they were waved through the police line.

As Asuka was parking the car Rei looked apologetic. "The demon kind want to procreate to save their species," she explained as Asuka released her from her cage, "they think that mating with humans will do this."

Asuka calmly drew her sword, looking around them warily. She looked over at Rei and asked, "Which way?"

Rei closed her eyes a moment, taking on a peaceful look that Mayumi found oddly disturbing, considering what she had just heard. "There," Rei pointed up into a nearby building as she said, "it is hiding there."

"I hate when they hide inside," Asuka cursed as Rei lead the way inside, Asuka following and Mayumi in the rear. "It always makes things more complicated," she added as they went over to the stairwell then upstairs.

"Uhm," Mayumi had to ask, "why is Rei taking the lead?"

Asuka gave her a look like she was an idiot. "We're hunting monsters that are much stronger than you or I," she explained dryly, "only Rei's half demon strength would let her survive."

"Oh, right," Mayumi looked sheepish as they pounded up to the second floor, where Rei did her impersonation of a dowsing rod again.

"This floor," Rei said as they exited the stairway into a central hallway.

Mayumi was awed at how they moved with military precision, Rei leading but Asuka always ready with her drawn sword. There was a strange closeness between them, a sense that they knew each others thoughts, maybe from how long they had worked together.

"There," Asuka hissed as they took in the misshapen thing in one of the computer labs. The demon was basically human shaped, but lopsided and bulging with extra muscles making it's shoulders and legs twist oddly. A elongated arm tore at a dead body, jerkilly lifting a chunk of bleeding meat up to it's mouth.

Mayumi fought the urge to be sick as Rei burst from cover, running at inhuman speed towards the monster. It swung at her wildly but Rei dodged, getting behind the powerful beast. She gracefully kicked the kneecap out, staggering the monster, then she got a firm, wrestling style grip on it.

"Now!" Rei yelled as she fought the thing to keep it still.

Asuka charged in, dodging under a flailing arm and swinging with a smooth grace, sending the beast's head flying free. AS it convulsed Rei bounced away as Asuka struck again, driving her sword into it's chest until they heard a sound like a crystal breaking. After that it shuddered and then was still, collapsing backward.

"My god...," Mayumi said weakly, watching the thing's body begin to smoke oddly while Rei walked towards it cautiously.

"Come on," Asuka took Mayumi by the arm, walking towards the doorway.

"Wait," Mayumi looked back only to gasp as Rei tore a strip right off the demon and began to eat it with a expression of deep revulsion on her face. "WHAT IS SHE...?!" she yelped.

Asuka calmly yanked Mayumi out into the hall, away from the eating. "Rei isn't human," she reminded the other woman firmly, "her biology... is a mess, literally. Half our food she can't eat, the other half has no nutrient value to her."

"So she has to eat demons to live," Mayumi murmured softly. Her mind raced, "What happens if we ever defeat these things?"

"She'd better hope we come up with something she can digest by then," Asuka said flatly. She looked at Mayumi, "Are you going to include demon eating in your story?"

Mayumi thought about Asuka and Rei, the odd gentleness that existed between them no matter how different they are. "No, I don't think so," she admitted, "I don't think the public needs to know."

Asuka's expression softened, "Thank you."

To be continued....

Notes: This is a 'Silent Mobius' meets 'Evangelion' fic, more or less. Instead of SEELE releasing 'Second Impact' they triggered a demon invasion, one that promptly wiped them out as well as doing serious damage to humanity.


	2. Chapter 2

Demon City Tokyo: A Evangelion Alternate Universe

Part Two

Mayumi Yamagishi activated her personal recorder and quietly dictated, "There was a red sky over Tokyo coming here, much like over the rest of the world. Scientists have blamed it on electromagnetic fields and climate shifts from the antarctic cataclysm, inverted weather patterns and such, but it all came down to bloody skies and a feeling of dark oppression in people's hearts."

Mayumi was tempted to erase that for being too dramatic, but then decided to let it stand for now. She felt a odd sort of deja vu as she waited in the cold, white walled meeting room at NERV-Japan. Just a few weeks ago she had been here to interview the world's most successful Hunter, Asuka Langley Soryu, and had even accompanied her on a hunt. Her story had been a hit, generating massive interest in NERV and leading to her being here now.

Yui Ikari entered a few minutes late, the brown haired older woman moving with a determined stride . She was a widower, her husband having died shortly after the demon gates opened, and worse had lost her Hunter son to a 'accident' with his youkai partner, Kaowru. 'Accident' in this case a polite way of saying he turned on Shinji and murdered him before apparently violating the corpse before being killed b y Asuka Soryu Langley. The details were hushed up, but it had still been a massive blow to the confidence of people towards NERV.

"Miss Yamagishi, I wanted to thank you personally for your efforts," Yui said with a kind of cool gentleness as she shook the younger woman's hand, "and Leutenant Soryu asked me to pass on her thanks to you as well."

"I was glad to help," Mayumi shook her hand firmly as she answered honestly, "the story was quite a success to me too."

Yui released her hand and pulled out a chair, sitting down across from her at the white table. "I heard from your editor that you have a request for me?" she asked, her light brown hair falling into her eyes as she studied Mayumi intently.

Mayumi debated how to put it, then decided the direct approach might be best. "I'd like to follow up my story with a more in depth view of NERV," she said, "possibly even working as a member of your organization for awhile."

Yui sat back, looking at Mayumi thoughtfully a moment, then leaned forward as she set her elbows on the table and laced her fingers in front of her. "You are aware of how dangerous this can be?" she asked grimly.

"I did accompany Miss Langley Soryu on a hunt," Mayumi said a little defensively.

"That's not what I mean," Yui shook her head slightly. She looked off into the distance, "NERV deals with the development of youkai, as well as devising anti-demon weaponry and techniques. It's dangerous, occassionally lethal work with little margin for error."

Mayumi wondered if she was referring to Shinji, but decided not to ask. "I'm willing to sign whatever wavers you require," she said, "and I think it might be worth risking my life if people have a better understanding of the dangers you face." She added, "A large amount of funding goes into NERV, but few people see what it actually does."

"A point," Yui conceded.

Despite NERV saving lives almost daily and the ongoing demon threat there was still a hard core group that protested around NERV branches. Some were ecologists protesting the biotechnology NERV used, some were animal rights groups trying to protect the demons, of all things and others complained of money wastage. The government usually ignored such quacks but around election time the opposition loved to dig such issues up.

Earnestly Mayumi said, "I want to show people the real NERV and the men and women who are making sacrifices to defend them."

Yui smiled slightly, then calmed her expression. "There will be areas you would be forbidden to see," Yui cautioned, "assuming I agree. You would respect that?"

"Yes," Mayumi nodded eagerly.

Yui seemed to be thinking about it as she sat back, taking a pen from her pocket and playing with it absently. "All right," she tucked the pen away, "assuming the legalities can be worked out I approve you doing a long term story on NERV. You'll be given full access to facilities, except for the top secret areas of the building."

"Thank you, ma'am!" Mayumi nearly jumped out of her chair, the young woman was so excited. This was a big break for a young reporter like her, spun properly she might even get a byline in one of the big papers!

"It's fine," Yui waved off her thanks as she pushed up her sleeve to reveal another of the communication devices NERV used, about the size of a normal. watch. "Sargent Ibuki," Yui said, "please report to briefing room three."

A few moments later and a young woman arrived, one not much older than Mayumi herself. Her brown hair was cut short and she wore a NERV standard military uniform, a black tunic and matching pants with brown trim, rank insignia on her neck. "Miss Yamagishi, I'm Maya Ibuki," she introduced herself politely.

"Maya," Yui said to her briskly, "give Miss Yamagishi the standard tour, to start with." She gave Mayumi a smile as she added, "I'll start seeing about getting the legal clearances you'll need."

"Thank you again," Mayumi bowed slightly as Yui strode off.

Maya looked over at Mayumi, "Would you prefer Miss Yamagishi or...?"

"Just Mayumi is fine," she said quickly.

"And I'm Maya," she said as they set off down the hallway. "Has anyone given you the tour yet?" she asked.

"I took the public tour before I came to interview Miss Langley Soryu," Mayumi admitted, "and I've read the briefing papers on the facility."

"Well. I'll give you my standard spiel and you can stop me if you've heard it before.," Maya decided. "NERV-Japan is based in a pyramid like building consisting of ten floors on the surface and several underground levels."

"Formerly a hotel," Mayumi remembered.

"Indeed," Maya agreed, "this region of Tokyo was hit bad during the first wave of demon attacks and property values plummeted." They reached a elevator past several meeting rooms and went in, "NERV-Japan houses training facilities for youkai, Hunters and support staff, as well as monitoring hunter teams around the world."

They came up a floor and walked down a short hallway as they talked, emerging into a two story room. A screen covered the far wall showing countries across the world, with red marks over certain cities. A blonde haired woman and a black haired one stood together, looking up as Maya and Mayumi entered.

"This is Major Misato Katsuragi, our Hunter coordination officer and Captain Ritsuko Akagi who is in charge of our bio-medical support section," Maya introduced the two of them, "ladies, this is Mayumi Yamagishi."

"Just call me Misato," the black haired woman smiled as she shook Mayumi's hand, "the whole military rank thing was forced on us by the JSDF anyway."

"I don't think they liked being ordered around by people without military rank," Ritsuko offered dryly. She looked over at Mayumi as she said, "Thank you for the story, even though you got a lot of the technical details wrong."

Mayumi didn't let her fluster her as she replied, "I did the best research I could do at the time,."

"Don't pick on the reporter," Misato jabbed Ritsuko gently in the side, "just because you had a bad experience with one."

"Misato!' Ritsuko blushed.

Deciding to change the subject Mayumi nodded towards the monitoring board, "Are those the cities hit with demon attacks or NERV branches?"

"Both, usually," Maya nodded approvingly, "though to be honest we still haven't determined why some cities were attacked and others not. Our original theory was population density, but why was Chicago hit and not New York?"

"Even though the demon invasion has been going on for years now," Ritsuko admitted as she looked up at the screen, "we still have as many questions as answers."

Looking over at Misato Mayumi asked, "So what does a Hunter coordination officer do?"

"I'm sort of the den-mother of Hunters in NERV-Japan," Misato smiled to her cheerfully, "I make sure they're both healthy and in good psychological condition, as well as assisting them in getting to where they need to go. We have multiple automobiles for various terrains in and around Tokyo region," Misato added with a grin, "and I've booked boats, helicopters and even planes if we're needed in other parts of Japan."

"I work fairly closely with Misato monitoring the Hunters' health," Ritsuko said with a slight smile, "as well as maintain the youkai in top physical shape."

"Is that difficult?" Mayumi asked curiously, "despite their looking like us I understand their biology isn't very human."

"And how did you learn that?" Ritsuko gave her a frown.

"I talked to Miss Soryu Langley," Mayumi admitted.

Misato snickered softly as she warned, "Don't let her catch you calling her that, Asuka hates formality more than I do."

"Heh," Ritsuko smiled then turned back to Mayumi, giving such a dry, technical and long winded explaination that the young woman knew none of it was eventually making it into her story. 'I wonder what Commander Ikari is doing now?' she thought to herself despairingly as she was buried under techno-babble.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Yui Ikari emerged from the bath, the brown haired woman dripping water as she carefully dried herself on a fluffy towel. Her figure was slim but not tiny, with well shaped breasts and hips and a carefully trimmed triangle of lighter brown hair.

"Your robe, miss?" the Hikari type youkai asked politely, holding it out for her. Like all youkai she had pale skin and red eyes, but her hair was a darker brown and long, tied back in two braids.

"Thank you," Yui casually pulled the white robe on, leaving it open. She sometimes wished the Hikari type was better for combat but they were too intelligent and empathic, occassionally freezing when their empathy for the demons grew too strong.

"Is there anything else, ma'am?" the Hikari type asked.

"I'm going into the chamber," Yui said in a curiously flat tone of voice, "use the intercom to signal me after an hour."

"Yes, miss," the youkai nodded.

This bathing room and the attached chamber were not on any official maps, indeed this sub-level was nonexistent to all but the highest ranking members of NERV staff. Walking along the tiled floor Yui prepared herself as she went to the double doors, pushing them open as she strode inside.

Everyone who saw the naked woman laying on the bed would have agreed she was beautiful, but they would still have disagreed about everything else. Some would say she had an aristocratic look while others would say she was a earthy beauty. Men would swear that she was blonde, black haired, brunette or even a redhead at different times.

For Yui she was a redhead, a full figured woman with generous breasts and hips, practically made for childbirth. Her face was kind and somewhat amused by the world, as if she had heard every pickup line in the world and laughed at them all. Her green eyes were warm as she got up, "Yui, I was scared you'd forgotten about me."

"It's been a busy few days," Yui admitted, her voice sounding faintly husky with desire from just being in the same room as the other woman. Her hands trembled a bit and she silently cursed her lack of self control.

The woman smiled as she boldly took Yui into her arms, kissing the smaller woman hungrilly. "I've missed you," she purred.

Yui moaned as the woman's hands roamed across her body, swiftly inflaming her passion. "I should hate you," she gasped as she bent down to kiss a full breast, "you're a demon."

"Ah!" she cried as she arched her back, pressing the full globe of her breast up against Yui's hungry mouth. "I may be a demon," she said as she tugged Yui towards the bed, "but I'm your demon."

Yui cast her robe aside and climbed on top of her, their mounds pressing together erotically. "Yes," she admitted breathlessly, "you are mine... Lilith."

Lilith, first wife of Adam, mother of Demons, smiled under Yui as they ground together, juices mixing erotically. "Would you like a finger?" she teased, circling one of Yui's aching nipples.

"Don't tease!" Yui moaned as her juices gushed uncontrollably, Lilith latching on to one of her nipples with a hungry mouth. The finger in her pussy was like heaven, touching all the parts she wanted and needed to be reached with a skill that was literally inhuman.

Lilith switched breasts casually while Yui writhed under her, the stiff self control the woman normally practiced blasted away by pure passion. If she was honest this was what Lilith enjoyed most from their partnership, watching a woman often called the 'Iron Bitch of NERV' reduced to a sobbing puddle of erotic joy. Reluctantly she drew her fingers free from her clasping wet folds, watching Yui coming down from the joyous heights.

Yui panted breathlessly, tremors still running through her body. When she gained enough control to speak she looked at Lilith tenderly, "Every time I promise myself it'll be just business, yet I always end up like this."

Lilith stroked Yui's cheek tenderly as she said, "It's because you really don't want things to be all business."

"Maybe so," Yui agreed, looking at Lilith searchingly. "I know this isn't easy for you..."

"It's all right," Lilith said gently, "I do this willingly, Yui. Maybe in some ways it makes up for what I have done before." She pushed Yui back gently and straddled her, licking her neck before asking, "Are you ready?"

"Do it," Yui said huskily.

Gently Lilith bit, drawing blood then sucking it down, her tongue fluttering over the wound and similar, matching scars on Yui's shoulder. She gulped it down then shuddered, pulling away from Yui to collapse across the bed, her hand cupping her belly as she felt something growing within there.

"Mmm," Lilith moaned as she said, "I wonder what pretty youkai we'll make today?"

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Demon City Tokyo: A Evangelion Alternate Universe

Part Three

Weapons training, Mayumi Yamagishi quickly decided, was a utter pain. She frankly lacked the upper body strength to handle the sort of weapons NERV issued it's agents, and was struggling with them from the get-go. All the Hunters working for various branches of NERV were weapons trained, and it had been decided that Mayumi needed similar training if she was going to accompany them.

Mari Illustrious Makinami swept in for a attack, the British pilot swinging towards Mayumi's chest. Mayumi stepped back and parried with her sword, the heavy blades meeting with a clang. The redhead was panting as she followed Mayumi across the training area, her eyes gleaming dangerously behind her glasses.

"So how is Mayumi doing?" Misato asked, the black haired captain tucking her hands in her NERV logo jacket, her Major's bars clipped to the jacket collar. The observation room they were using as on the upper floor from the training hall, with a one way window so they could see in and the Hunters couldn't see them. The hall itself was two stories tall and about fifty foot wide, part of a gym the hotel would have used, and the floor was covered with blue safety mats.

Ritsuko smiled slightly as Mari hammered the woman on the side of her protective uniform and said, "Surprisingly well, actually. She's not as fit as most of our pilots, but she's working hard to catch up." She looked at Misato and asked, "Is she ready for field ops?"

"Not yet," Misato admitted with a thoughtful look on her face, "she's not sufficiently up on weapons skills yet." She scowled as she added, "If she gets separated from Asuka and Rei, she needs to be able to protect herself."

Ritsuko winced in sympathetic pain as Mari hammered Mayumi again, this time on a padded arm guard. Worriedly she asked, "Are you sure you should be training her against Mayumi? Mari is a little... excessive."

"You mean she's nuts," Misato calmly corrected, watching Mayumi finally lose her temper and start driving Mari back, "but she's probably the best person to quickly push Mayumi up to a reasonable level of skill."

"Come on! Come on!" Mari cheered her on as Mayumi hammered at her guard with heavy swings, panting with exertion.

Mayumi staggered a bit as she wheezed, "Are you... nuts?"

Mari casually batted the exhausted Mayumi's sword aside as she grinned, "Nah, I just let you tire yourself out." With a leg sweep she sent the other woman sprawling on her back, then the lithe woman jumped on her.

"Get off me!" Mayumi yelped, wiggling under the other girl's weight, feeling her breasts pushing against her own as Mari grinned at her.

"If I was a demon," Mari purred into her ear, wiggling on top of her with a grin, "you'd be dead meat." Suddenly she nipped Mayumi's ear, "You're kinda cute, too."

"Mari, would you please get off her,?" Misato called, walking into the training room with a disgusted look on her face.

"Yes, ma'am," Mari smiled, getting up then offering a hand and helping tug the exhausted Mayumi up to her feet.

"I can't believe you people do this every day," Mayumi sighed, her arms and sides aching from all the sword swinging and getting hit.

"Not every day," Mari corrected, "we get the occasional day off."

"Close enough," Mayumi sighed.

It was strange, how quickly she had been accepted in the month since she arrived here. A lot of it, Mayumi suspected, was the deceptively casual atmosphere that Commander Yui Ikari fostered. Ranks were frowned on, as were last names, and there was a regular mingling between the lower staff doing data entry and such tasks and the professors, military officers and Hunters above them. That mingling generated a strong sense of comradry among NERV staff, as well as a deep seated loyalty.

"Thank you," Mayumi smiled at Misato then she yelped in surprise and embarrassment as Ritsuko calmly walked up to her, grabbed the bottom of her heavy protective shirt and pulled it up, exposing her chest and sides to everyone.

"Nice boobs," Mari casually noted.

In a purely academic tone of voice Ritsuko noted, "You've got some bruising, but other than that I think you're fine." Letting the shirt drop back down she added, "I'd also suggest wearing at least a sports bra, or you'll start to sag."

"Ritsuko!' Mayumi blushed furiously.

"What?" Ritsuko shrugged, "It's true."

Misato ran a hand over her face then said, "Ritsuko, please do not flip up peoples clothes without asking first."

"Prude," Ritsuko sniffed, striding out of the room.

Mari was grinning as she watched Ritsuko leave, then looked at Misato. "Can I go around doing that to people?" she asked.

"Get dual degrees in medicine and genetics," Misato said dryly, "and we'll talk about it."

"Aww," Mari pouted as she left too, walking out to the hallway then heading to the changing rooms and showers.

"Regretting this assignment yet?" Misato asked as she walked along side the slightly slower Mayumi, the young woman limping a bit from a blow to the leg earlier.

"No, I am not," Mayumi answered, gritting her teeth. She gave Misato a questioning look, "What's the deal with Mari? She seems..."

"Not very tightly wound?" Misato suggested impishly. "A few bricks short of a load?"

"Something like that," Mayumi admitted.

"Mari is a trainee from NERV-London, and I have to admit I've thought of bouncing her from the program once or twice," Misato said as they walked along, "but she's passed every test we've thrown at her and is tough as nails." She shrugged, "If NERV-London is willing to put up with her quirks, who am I to argue?"

"Point," Mayumi admitted. "I understand the commander there is a bit of a character, herself?" she asked curiously.

Misato snickered softly, "Yeah, SIR Integral Hellsing. I have my doubts about her being either knighted or really a Hellsing, considering the family is supposed to be fictional, but..."

"She gets the job done," Mayumi guessed as they reached the changing rooms and Misato nodded vigorously.

"Get cleaned up," Misato ordered, "I'll meet you afterward."

"Got it," Mayumi agreed, heading inside the spotless chamber, hearing the shower running nearby.

Mayumi stripped off her sweaty training gear and dropped it into a laundry chute, then grabbed her shampoo and soap before walking into the shower. Mari was still there washing away, and apparently singing a horrid little ditty in English. Mayumi didn't recognize much of it, but what she was catching were swear words and obscenities.

"Do you have to sing that?" Mayumi winced at a pretty harsh turn of phrase.

"You understood that?" Mari looked amused, "Sorry. Asuka only speaks Japanese and German, so she's never commented."

"I see," Mayumi noted, sneaking looks at the thin girl. She was younger than she was, maybe in her teens, and had only recently begun to fill out. She had small, pert breasts and hips that were just beginning to curve, as well as a few white scars on her arms and side.

Mari cocked her leg and put her arm behind her head in a sexy pose as she asked, "So, like what you see?"

Mayumi looked away, blushing as she stammered, "Sorry."

"It's fine," Mari waved it off as she rinsed the soap away, "my family got hurt in a demon attack a few years ago. It's why I volunteered to be a Hunter and came here."

"I'm sorry," Mayumi said quietly.

"Not your fault," Mari said as she walked to the roof mounted wind dryer, luxuriating in the heated air flowing over her, "but if I ever catch whoever was responsible for all this crap, they'll wish they were dead."

Later in the cafeteria, Mayumi was sitting with Misato, Maya Ibuki and Asuka, who had just come back from a hunt. "Yeah, Mari is pretty intense," Asuka agreed as the orange haired woman tore into her food, Mayumi having given them a overview of the conversation.

"I know where she's coming from," Misato said just a little flatly as she drank some coffee, "and a lot of us are bearing scars from the demons, physically or mentally."

Mayumi was tempted to ask about what drove Misato, but something in her tone of voice convinced her it was a bad idea. 'Maybe I can sneak a look at her personnel file later,' she mused.

"So, Mayumi," Maya smiled with a impish light in her eyes, "has Mari hit on you yet?"

Mayumi nearly choked on her sandwich, stammering, "I.. uh..."

Asuka laughed, patting Mayumi on the shoulder as she said, "Don't worry, you aren't the only one she's hit on."

Misato made a face, "I have to admit, our Mari is getting a bit of a reputation as NERV's slut."

Mayumi was still blushing slightly as she asked, "Who has she hit on?"

All three other women raised their hands. "She also hit on Ritsuko right in front of me," Maya added, frowning cutely.

"There's a rumor she tried it on the Commander herself," Asuka grinned, "but I haven't gotten a eyewitness to that one."

Mayumi thought of the Commander, a attractive but slightly remote woman in her thirties. Or maybe forties, you never knew these days. "I could see it, maybe," she admitted.

"No way," Misato shook her head firmly as she polished off her lunch. "Not that Yui isn't attractive," she added as she took a last drink, "but she's been carrying a torch for her missing husband for years. Never even looks at anyone else."

"Poor thing," Maya murmured quietly.

Asuka finished scarfing her lunch, then looked over at Misato, "How's Mayumi's training coming along? Is she ready to accompany me on a patrol?"

Misato hesitated, but Mayumi looked at her entreatingly. She smiled slightly and addressed Asuka, "Okay, but keep her close. I don't think she's ready to solo yet."

"You got it," Asuka agreed.

The usual check out procedures were followed and Asuka and Mayumi headed out in one of the specially modified NERV armored vans. Asuka drove with surprising skill, the young woman dressed in her skin tight orange and red body armor. Mayumi was still wearing the armor that had once belonged to Shinji Ikari, the blue and white armor clinging to her body revealingly.

"How often do Hunters go on patrol like this?" Mayumi asked.

Rei II crouched in the back seat/cage, her light blue hair falling over her red eyes. "Usually two times a week or so," she answered calmly, "in a variable grid pattern. It lets us search for undetected demon nests and other phenomena."

"It doesn't happen often," Asuka anticipated the question Mayumi was going to ask, "but occasionally one of them will resist it's instinct to immediately hunt, rape and kill, and establish a nest. They can breed, again occasionally, and when they do it can be trouble."

"I thought the demons were supposed to be sterile?" Mayumi asked as they drove through the rundown districts around Tokyo-NERV. The part of the city had been hit hard by the first wave of demons pouring out of Antarctica, and much of the buildings were still abandoned. The whole area felt like a modern ghost town, with crumbling buildings, poor roads and hollowed out shells of businesses.

"We mostly are," Rei answered simply, "but random chance does strike. If one of our kind can find a rarely compatible human, it can happen."

'Our kind?' Mayumi shivered at the cold tone of voice from Rei, as well as the undercurrent of eagerness. Rei was helping humanity, but she was not human, and Mayumi had to remember that.

"Picking up anything?" Asuka asked as they finished a square around the NERV building, then moved outward.

"Nothing yet," Rei answered, "though I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to try something so near to base."

"I never underestimate demon stupidity," Asuka said wryly.

Mayumi noticed Rei had her face up against the partition, her nose twitching faintly. "You showered with Hunter Mari," she noted quietly. "She smells of blood and regrets."

Mayumi blushed, "In the same room, not together. There's a difference."

Rei looked thoughtful, "I see." She sniffed again, "I like your scent, but I prefer Asuka's."

Mayumi wasn't quite sure what to make of that, so she looked at Asuka. The young woman was smiling slightly, apparently amused by something. Finishing circling a block farther out from NERV she asked Rei, "Anything?"

Rei tilted her head back, "Nothing."

'This is going to be a long drive,' Mayumi thought, sitting back with a sigh.

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Demon City Tokyo

Four

Asuka lay back, moaning as her red-orange hair fanned out on the bed. The slim, athletic young woman was nude, her clothes ripped away as she lay on the black silk sheets, breathing heavily. Her nipples ached with hardness and her thighs were wet with her excitement.

Rei emerged from the shadows around the bed, her ghostly pale skin glowing in the dim light. Like Asuka she was nude, her alabaster skin tinted a faint rose around her nipples and her perfectly shaved mound.

"Rei, what...?" Asuka asked, looking at the youkai in confusion.

"Hush," Rei's red eyes were gentle as she crawled up the bed, kissing Asuka's legs from her ankles on up.

Asuka mewled softly in surprise, twisting in pleasure on the cool satin sheets. That raspy tongue slid up her inner thigh and Asuka shuddered, her excitement reaching a feverish pitch. "We shouldn't...," Asuka moaned, trying to remember the warnings she had been given years back.

"Operative Soryu, I love you," Rei said calmly as her jaw extended outward.

Asuka barely had a chance to scream as Rei began to feed, tearing at her flesh...

"Aagh!" Asuka gasped as she came awake, her heart hammering in her chest as the vivid images churned in her mind. She slumped tiredly as her heart slowed back down to normal, her gasps of shock fading.

The soft sound of a buzzer made her look up, then the door slid aside. Misato Katsuragi looked in on the room, the older woman wearing a hastily thrown on robe. "You okay?" she asked gently, stepping into the near darkness of the room.

"I'm fine," Asuka smiled weakly, "nightmare."

"Ah," Misato made a sympathetic face.

Nightmares were a common thing, in NERV these days. Maybe it was because of the demon fighting, or the climate change or some other, unknown factor but but it was fair to say humanity hadn't slept peacefully for at least a decade. The kind of dream varied from person to person, but they all were bloody and horrific.

"What was it of?" Misato asked as she sat on the edge of the bed, her robe shifting a bit as she did. A severe scar ran from just between her breasts and down across her belly, where a demon had torn her open. She survived, barely, and even as her blood gushed out had managed to take a piece of broken pipe and impale the thing.

It was that legendary act that made Asuka respect the older woman as much as she did. "It was Rei," she said flatly, "eating me." For reasons she couldn't quite explain Asuka left the erotic element of the dream out, deciding it wasn't important.

"That had to have been eerie," Misato conceded. Gently she added, "Maybe it's your subconscious, reminding you Rei is dangerous."

"Oh, I know she's dangerous," Asuka answered wryly, "I'm reminded of that every time she rips a demon apart."

"Hmm," Misato nodded slightly. She got up and walked to the door, then turned to ask, "Are you going to be all right? I can have Ritsuko get you a sleeping pill."

"I'll be fine," Asuka reassured her, "get back to sleep."

"You too," Misato told her before slipping out of the room and locking the door behind her with a soft click.

Asuka sighed tiredly as she lay back, closing her eyes as she tried to will herself back to sleep. Yet as terrifying and horrible as the dream had been, there was also a erotic beat that lingered in her. Guiltily Asuka let a hand slide between her legs, seeking much needed relief...

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Misato Katsuragi walked back to her quarters, part of the wing of suites that held the Hunters and many of the related staff. The walls were thin enough that she had heard the gurgling cry of terror Asuka had made, and her rank gave her the ability to override the locks. But if Asuka didn't want to talk about what she was feeling, there wasn't much she could do for her.

'And she was holding back on me,' Misato frowned.

The door to Misato's suite slid open silently as she went in, casually switching on the lights. As usual the outer room was very neat, as befitting a military officer, though her bedroom was a disaster area. She had learned to maintain a image of order for her staff, but it didn't come natural to her. She walked across the living room and shed her robe, revealing her nudity as she opened the bedroom door.

"Mmph!" the voice came from the bed.

"Sorry I had to leave, Maya," Misato apologized as she gazed down at the bed, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.

Maya Ibuki was spread out naked on the bed, the brown haired woman's arms and legs bound to the old fashioned bedposts by padded cuffs. Her mouth was filled with a ball gag, and her slim, athletic body was sweaty from her token efforts to pull free.

Misato sat beside her on the bed and ran a hand down her sweaty side, stroking the toned flesh. "Wouldn't Ritsuko be shocked if she saw you like this?" Misato asked thoughtfully. "I could go down the hall and wake her, if you like..."

"Nmph!" Maya shook her head no wildly, "plsh!"

"Or Yui too," Misato cupped her breast gently, squeezing the girl's stiff nipple as she mused, "she's be so shocked seeing her studious assistant like this."

"Umhh!" Maya arched her back to increase the sensation on her tits.

Misato bent over and nibbled at the hard nipple, even as she let her hand run down over the muscled belly. "I should call that new girl Mayumi in," Misato growled as she let her finger's penetrate Maya, "we could have a all girl gang bang! You want it, don't you slut!"

"Ugh! Ughm!" Maya bucked and twisted in pleasure, hips pumping in ecstasy as she tried to get

Misato deeper into her.

Willingly Misato eased all her fingers into the wet heat, practically laying over Maya to contain her wild bucking. "Maybe I'll lend you to Mari, she looks like she'd be a real freak in bed!" she said, grinning at her evilly.

With a final buck Maya achieved orgasm, her body arching up tensely before finally collapsing in a wet heap. With a surprising degree of tenderness Misato undid the bonds and pulled out the ball gag with a wet pop, then pulled Maya to her. The younger woman shook and cried against her, days of tension pouring out of her.

"Thank you, Mistress," Maya finally breathed out against Misato's neck.

"Just Misato, unless we're playing," she reminded her gently. "You all right?"

"Yes," Maya actually blushed, a sweet reaction from someone who had been a willing bondage slave a few seconds ago. "I'm sorry I asked you to..."

Misato petted Maya's neck, "It's not your fault you're into these scenarios, Maya." She smiled down at her, "And it's not like I'm not having fun too."

Maya blushed again as she shyly asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to...?"

"It's fine," Misato patted her shoulder tenderly.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

As head of medical services, Ritsuko Akagi had access to almost all of NERV from her office on the command deck. There was the basement room Yui visited weekly, she couldn't access cameras there, but other than that she could look into almost every part of NERV. And for good reason, too, as if there was a emergency she needed to know instantly what was wrong and where.

Ritsuko sat with her legs spread in the leather chair, her trousers pooled around her ankles as she bit her lip to be quiet. The dyed blonde's pubic hair were brown as she worked her fingers across her wetness, panting softly.

On the screen Mari Illustrious Makinami was laying on her bed, the sheets tossed to the floor. Her ass was up in the air as she lay on her belly, her hands working a moderate sized vibrator into her pussy. Her red hair was sweaty as she panted breathlessly, her juices running down her legs.

Mari tossed her head back as she plucked at her nipples, breathing hard while a shudder rippled through her slim body. She looked older than her actual teens, a strangely erotic goddess spread out and open on the bare bed.

Back in her office Ritsuko watched the girl feverishly, wondering what the girl was fantasizing about as she masturbated. What dirty thoughts were running through her mind, what was inspiring her fevered passion? She licked up the juices on her one hand, savoring the taste, then blinked as she saw Mari looking up at her.

'Looking at the camera, I mean,' Ritsuko corrected herself. But Mari was looking right up at her, and her lips were moving. She wasn't a expert lip reader, but she thought she could decipher what she was saying...

"I know you're watching, Captain Akagi," Mari mouthed, then gave a very catlike smile. "Do you want to come down and play with me?"

Ritsuko made a choking sound as Mari rolled onto her back, spreading her legs wantonly. She made a beckoning gesture with one hand even as she began to work the vibrator again, moaning in pleasure. Ritsuko knew she should turn the camera off, but somehow she just couldn't look away.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Yui Ikari hurried from her suite, her robe flapping around her as she entered the elevator. With her key she unlocked the subbasement level, arriving in a few seconds and hurrying out.

The Hikari type youkai was slumped in a chair, but jerked to her feet as Yui entered. "Mistress," she said, her eyes foggy with need, "do you want me to... bathe you?"

Yui blinked, looking at the brown haired girl with twin braids. She hadn't thought the Hikari type COULD get that turned on, and the young woman was managing a pretty good imitation of bedroom eyes too. The thin gown she was wearing made it easy for the minx to pull it tight across her breasts, and it was short enough to show off nice legs too.

Yui shook her head, trying to concentrate on business. "No," she brushed by the girl, "but set the alarm to one hour, as usual."

"Yes, mistress," Hikari cooed, sounding disappointed.

Yui hurried through the connected rooms to the double doors, her own breath coming a bit faster. She pushed the doors open and strode inside, seeing the familiar redhead laying on the bed, her lush, earthy figure making her mouth go dry.

"Why, hello Yui, what brings you here?" Lilith purred as she lay on her back, displaying her fine figure to Yui's hungry eyes.

"Would you knock it off!" Yui yelled as she glared down at her, trying not to let erotic impulses take over and failing.

"Knock off what?" Lilith asked innocently, actually batting her eyes.

Yui practically growled as she fought down the urge to pounce on Lilith and ravage her. "The erotic field making everyone upstairs want to rut!" she told Lilith, "Stop it, now! Do you want me to have to punish you?"

Lilith actually smirked, but she still obeyed. Yui could nearly feel the effect fading, her ability to reason clearly coming back. "As you command,." Lilith tilted her head respectfully. A bit sheepishly she added, "I hadn't realized I was doing it."

Yui snorted in amusement at that baldfaced lie, but let it go. Anything Lilith did was calculated, though Yui often wasn't sure what her goal was."Thank you," Yui said grudgingly, then she gasped softly as Lilith ran her hands up under her robe, revealing she wasn't wearing anything under it.

"Since you're already here," Lilith kissed her belly, then licked her salty flesh.

Yui bit back a moan, feeling her will weakening as Lilith touched her so knowingly. "Damn you," Yui gasped as she surrendered to the heat between her legs.

"I am that," Lilith agreed as she pulled Yui down onto the bed with her...

To be continued...

Notes: I'm not the first writer to suggest that Lilith generates a 'get sexy' signal, and I won't be the last. I may or may not leave Maya and Misato together, and I rather like the idea of Ritsuko the voyeur. Heh!


	5. Chapter 5

Demon City Tokyo

Five

Mari Illustrious Makinami stalked along the hallway, the brown haired woman's glases gleaming as she hefted a short sword. Her skin-tight light brown armor showed off every curve as she swept the shadows with her eyes, her expression oddly hungry.

"Mari," Rei II said, the pale skinned clone walking just ahead as her head slowly turned side to side, "there is something nearby."

"Good," Mari answered shortly, "where?"

"There," Rei II pointed to a room just ahead.

The two women quickly advanced, moving to either side of the door. Mari opened the door then shoved it wide, even as Rei II hurried in, her unearthly red eyes sweeping the room. The Demon seemed unsurprised by their arrival, the serpentine creature turning as they entered, oddly faceless yet with a wide, gaping mouth on it's chest.

A human victim lay in a pool of her own gore, her chest torn open by the hungry mouth and tentacles of the creature. Her innards were spilling out around her body while her blank eyes stared at the ceiling, thankfully unseeing.

"Bastard," Mari hissed, her hands tightening convulsively on the hilt of her sword.

Almost as soon as Mari moved so did Rei II, the pale woman flanking the demon as Mari attacked. The monster whipped out it's tentacles towards Mari, striking with incredible speed and piercing the shoulder of her armor in a splash of red.

"Fuck!" Mari staggered as blood splashed against her face. She grabbed at the slimy length and cut with her sword, severing the tentacle then ripping the barbed end free from her flesh with a scream of pain.

Rei II growled in fury as she grabbed at the other tentacle, keeping it from stabbing her too. With a ferocious sound she tore the length of flesh out of the demon's body, sending ichor flying as the wound oozed unhealthily. The creature reeled backwards from it's victim, it's mouth snapping open and shut angrily.

Mari dug a emergency patch out of a pocket on her armor and slapped it over the wound, hissing in relief as pain relievers coursed into her system. Hefting her sword she smiled wildly and charged, yelling some half-understandable battle cry.

The demon dodged sideways from Mari's strike but right into Rei II's reach, the pale young woman pinning the struggling monster. "Now, master!" she cried to Mari.

"Aaaah!" Mari screamed as she leaped, sword swinging down to cut deeply into the struggling demon's flesh. She wrenched the sword around as the thing keened in agony, tearing and ripping at the monster's body.

Rei II seemed seized by the same battle madness, tearing wildly at the demon as it's struggles slowed then finally stopped. Both women were covered in gore when the battle was finally over, panting as they stared at each other.

Mari pushed herself to her feet, her armor splattered in demon puss. "You need to feed now, right?" she asked a bit unsteadily.

Rei II looked up at her with eyes that seemed to shine with a unearthly hunger, "Yes, mistress."

Mari extended her gore covered hand as her voice dropped to a purr, "Clean me off first."

"Yes," Rei II murmured, taking Mari's hand in her own, bending forward as she let her tongue flicker across the bloody flesh.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Are you insane?" Misato Katsurago growled as she paced across the small debriefing room, glaring down at the young woman sitting at the table.

Mari had been cleaned up, showered and had her wound looked at. She gazed up at Misato with a curious expression, "I thought we covered that?"

Misato grit her teeth. "Mari, the youkai are not human. Your pet Rei could have killed you when you made her lick you off!"

Mari shrugged eloquently, "I know, that was part of the thrill."

"Oooh!" Misato made a frustrated noise.

Mari had been found by the NERV recovery team with Rei straddling her waist, the pale girl's red tongue flickering across Mari's cheek. The staff had been frozen long enough for Mari to push Rei II off and get up, but then they had bundled up the dead woman, Mari, Rei II and the demon corpse and hurried back to NERV.

"We've spent a lot of time and effort in training you, Mari," Misato said with a sigh, "I don't want that going to waste."

"I'll be careful, Mommy," Mari teased.

"Gah, there's a horrid mental image," Misato grumbled.

Mari smirked, "You don't wanna be my new mommy? I bet I could use a good spanking."

Misato jerked just a bit, wondering if Mari knew about her and Maya's little... tension relief sessions. Deciding that the girl couldn't know Misato shook off her discomfort and met Mari's gaze. "Take things seriously for once," she told her, "we worry about you."

Mari smiled slightly, "Thank you." She got up, her hair falling messily around her face as she asked, "Can I go now?"

Misato sighed, "Yeah, you can go."

A few moments later Ritsuko Akagi walked in, the slightly older woman carrying a clipboard. She read Misato's expression as she asked, "No luck?"

"She just blew me off," Misato grumbled. She looked over at Ritsuko as she asked, "So, is Mari's shoulder wound all right?"

"Mari was lucky," Ritsuko noted thoughtfully, "the tentacle stabbed through the fleshy part of her shoulder, only doing mild damage to the muscles. She should recover the full use of the arm fairly quickly, possibly in days."

"Huh," Misato muttered thoughtfully.

"We recovered some samples of foreign material in the wound," Ritsuko added thoughtfully, "like all Demon flesh it doesn't match our conventional DNA. I shipped off the rest of the material to Yui for further testing."

"As usual," Misato agreed, then asked, "How is Rei II?"

"Well, her hormone levels are up over norms, as well as endorphins," Ritsuko noted, consulting her clipboard thoughtfully.

"Which means?" Misato asked as no further information was coming.

"Rei II was sexually excited," Ritsuko said dryly, "she was primed to mate with Mari. And no, I have no idea if that means she'd attack her or try to have sex with her."

"Oh damn," Misato groaned, running her hand over her face. She sat down at the table, her thoughts racing, "Is it safe for Rei II to go out in the field?"

"If you give her a few days to calm down, I don't see a problem," Ritsuko told her with a slight smile. "Like a human being, those chemicals with subside over time."

"But will she be reliable with our other agents?" Misato wondered. She made a face, "Imagine if she offers to clean off Asuka or Mayuimi with her tongue? Asuka would kill her."

"And Mayumi?" Ritsuko asked.

"Probably die of embarrassment," Misato reflected, chuckling. She shook her head then asked, "Can you keep a close eye on Rei II?"

"I'll call you if she exhibits any dangerous behaviors," Ritsuko promised dryly.

"Thanks," Misato sighed. She got up as she murmured, "I better get back to work, the reports to the city on the demon attack won't write themselves."

"See you later," Ritsuko nodded as she watched her friend walk off.

The labs at NERV Tokyo was a busy place, where samples from demons were tested, youkai were treated and hunters were given medical treatment. They had just finished up a set of tests on Mayumi, and the reporter was lingering to talk to Maya Ibuki.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to how invasive these exams are, Maya," Mayumi admitted as she leaned against the desk, dressed in her NERV uniform.

"There's not much choice," Maya conceded as she copied a report onto the NERV database, "we still don't know what long term contact with demons or youkai will do to people, so we need to keep constant records on you."

"Lovely," Mayumi made a face, "we're test subjects."

"Well, so is everyone at NERV pretty much," Maya said comfortingly.

"You're all my test subjects!" Ritsuko declared as she breezed in, grabbed the bottom of Mayumi's shirt and flipped it up. "Nice bra."

"Doctor!" Mayumi yelped.

"Senpai!" Maya scolded at about the same time.

Completely ignoring the scolding Ritsuko continued, "Glad to see you took my advice, Mayumi." She looked over at Maya, "How does she check out?"

Maya sighed but consulted the report, "Mayumi has lost weight and gained muscle tone since her last exam a week ago. Do you want to know what she had for lunch too?"

"No thank you," Ritsuko chuckled. She looked over at Mayumi again, "How are you settling in here at NERV?"

"Oh, pretty well other than everyone being insane," Mayumi answered brightly.

"Don't be mean," Maya sighed.

Ritsuko shrugged, "Insanity is probably just a defense for our minds confronting things they were never meant to deal with."

Mayumi looked at Ritsuko in surprise as she noted, "That's really very insightful, doctor."

"Thank you," Ritsuko smirked, "I read it in a book once."

"I knew it," Maya hung her head with a sigh.

"Maya-chan...," Ritsuko growled, leaning forward and tugging on the girl's cheek, making her yelp in pain.

"I'm sowwy!" Maya managed to get out weakly.

'These people are strange,' Mayumi sighed.

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Demon City Tokyo

Six

Mayumi Yamagishi hefted her sword, the slim young woman dressed in the armored uniforms NERV gave it's field agents. She advanced warily through the building, scanning back and forth over the hallway, even as a Rei clone followed her.

"It's close, Miss," Rei noted, sniffing the air like a cat, the sleek white restraining suit clinging to her girlish form.

"How far?" Mayumi asked tersely, still vaguely uncomfortable with the youkai servant.

"Meters," Rei answered, "and there has been blood spilled."

"Damn," Mayumi cursed softly, the two advancing on a room at the end of the corridor, up against the building's outer wall. 'Wonder if that's how the demon broke in?' she wondered.

Rei moved ahead of her slightly, taking the door handle and turning it. There was a creek of rust and unoiled metal, then the door swung open. The room was lit by moonlight coming in the windows and the wrist-lamp Mayumi carried, revealing a creature squatting in the wreckage of a human being.

The old man was a bloody wreck, his gray hair matted with blood as he lay sprawled on his back. The demon was uselessly mounting him, attempting to still mate with the broken corpse. His eyes were blank and unseeing, and Mayumi didn't want to imagine the agony he had went through.

"Go!" Mayumi ordered, even as she advanced into the room too.

Rei moved like a shot, charging at the demon even as it rose from it's victim. It had the same lopsided, slightly off look of all it's type, with big, round eyes that almost looked like a insect. It's hands had long, extended fingers, ending in blade like claws.

With a hiss of fury over being interrupted the demon swiped at Rei, but the youkai was fast and bounced away. Rei got behind it and attempted to grapple, gripping on one arm but it twisted, slipping free of her grip and leaving some skin behind.

"Eww," Mayumi shuddered at the ripping sound of flesh tearing away, but quickly got herself under control. She advanced towards the monster with her sword held at the ready, moving so that the moonlight splashed on her and made her more of a target.

The thing hissed as she came into view, it's strange red eyes widening slightly. With a shambling gait it started to move towards her, but this time Rei was ready. Taking a old chair she leaped up then stabbed downwards with the legs, driving one through it's fleshy body and into the floor, pinning it.

"Eee!" the thing keened, a deeply inhuman sound.

Mayumi winced as the sound grated on her ears, then shook off the pain. Swiftly she moved to where the thing was struggling and swung her sword, taking the head off with a neat chop. "Is that...?" she started as the thing bucked once then went limp.

Rei crouched down, near the creature but still out of reach as she sniffed again. "It's dead," she confirmed as the thing made a final, weak attempt to be free.

Mayumi got up, the stress of the day actually making her wobble a bit. Taking her communicator she keyed in the retrieval code even as she reported, "Target found and disposed off."

"Well done," Misato replied crisply over the link, "a van and containment team will be there in five minutes."

"Send a body bag along too," Mayumi sighed.

"Understood," Misato said gently.

As Misato disconnected Mayumi sighed tiredly. She wanted to just lay down, but this wasn't the place or time. She looked at the youkai as she asked flatly, "Do you need to feed?"

Rei looked at her, a almost inhuman glow appearing in her eyes, "May I?"

Mayumi gestured to the demon corpse, "Go ahead, just leave enough for the analysis team."

"Thank you," Rei knelt down by the fallen demon, then braced a hand against it's shoulder as she tore free a chunk of meat. Mayumi swiftly turned away, but not before she saw Rei dribbling the blood down into her mouth.

From the Tokyo Sentinel, March, 2016

It's difficult to talk about working with the Hunters without discussing Tokyo itself. The whole city is now nearly a ghost town, the initial wave of demon attacks having driven much of the population away. The buildings are falling into ruin gradually, day by day, and worse are becoming nests for vermin like rats, mice and even larger critters.

Public services have largely given up, so the streets are always lined with litter or rubble. There's a smell of rot and corruption in the air, and the constant feeling that there's something out there, watching you. The only place where there is any serious maintenance going on is around the NERV pyramid itself, and NERV is one of the few employers in town too. People either work for NERV itself, or are working for someone who services NERV, like food shippers and other companies.

NERV took over a nearby apartment building, building a fortified wall around it and upgrading the security for the majority of their staff. (Yui Ikari apparently got it for a steal, considering how people seem to want to move away from the city.) Additionally several key members of staff live in the NERV pyramid itself, including the Hunters, Major Misato and others. We don't venture out into Tokyo itself much, even on off hours, except for Mari who seems to get a thrill from it.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"The Tokyo chamber of commerce is not happy about your story," Yui Ikari noted mildly as the brown haired scientist sat down at what was unofficially considered the 'Hunter's Table' in the NERV cafeteria. The room was less busy than usual, with only some workers from maintenance eating and Mayumi getting some food after returning to base.

"I call them like I see them," Mayumi shrugged as she ate a sandwich. Her skin itched from the powerful chemical shower she just had, and she deeply wanted to rest. Sadly, hunger won over tiredness, which was why she was there eating.

"Fair enough," Yui conceded, "but describing the city of Tokyo as 'shot in the head' was a bit much, I thought."

Mayumi chewed her bite of sandwich and swallowed it before replying, 'Seriously, Yui, it's going to be years for Tokyo to recover from this. And that's assuming we actually stop all these demon attacks."

"Hey, Mayumi," Mari staggered in, her short brown hair standing up from how she had been sleeping. "Mrs Ikari," she added towards Yui. The young woman was wearing just a ragged t-shirt and shorts, well aware that the eyes of the few men in the room were on her.

"Miss Makinami," Yui replied with none of the warmth her voice usually had.

'They don't seem to get along,' Mayumi noted, 'I wonder why?'

"If you attempt to sneak into my bedroom again, Miss Makinami," Yui added calmly, "I will be quite cross with you."

"Yeah, yeah," Mari said as she went by them and headed up to the counter to order some food.

'Well, that explains that,' Mayumi blinked, Quietly she asked Yui, "She didn't really try to...?"

"Oh yes," Yui said ruefully. "I was woken from a sound sleep with her wrapped around me like a snake, purring in my ear. I tossed her out of bed on her ass."

Mayumi giggled at that mental image, even as Yui chuckled softly. "That girl just has no restraint at all, does she?" she shook her head.

"Pretty much," Yui agreed then got up with a sigh. "Well, I just stopped by to give you the message, so I had best be going."

"I'd invite you to stay, but I don't think you want to eat at this odd hour," Mayumi said with a slight smile.

"Thanks for the offer," Yui said sincerely, "and I read your report on the hunt." She patted Mayumi gently on the shoulder, "Good job."

Before Mayumi could form a response Yui was off, striding across the cafeteria with her usual self confidence. With a sigh she went back to her sandwich and drink, munching as she started to feel the hunger fade.

Mari carried over a breakfast tray, the young woman's slightly angular glasses gleaming. "Got that woman is a icebox," she sighed as she sat down, "but damn is she hot."

Mayumi looked at her warily, "Yui?"

"Who else?" Mari asked as she dug into her food like a ravening wolf.

"Uhm," Mayumi sipped her drink, "are you into older women or..."

Mari smirked, "Dear child, I prefer to be with a woman with experience. You can learn so much from them."

Mayumi couldn't decide if Mari was being serious or not. Instead she asked, "How did you get into the demon hunting?"

Slowing down a bit in the shoveling of food Mari shrugged slightly. "My family were killed in the first big demon attack on London," she said, "and I wanted to get the things that did it. I had to be pretty damn persistent, but I eventually got into NERV-London and joined the Hunters."

They chatted a bit as Mayumi finished her food, then tiredly got up to head to bed.

The next day Mayumi asked around, and found out there were at least four stories that Mari told about joining NERV. In one just her mother died, in another her father died, in one both died, and a final story had her just running away for guts and glory, no tragedy involved at all.

"So is Mari just a compulsive liar?" Mayumi asked as she sparred with Asuka. The redhead was as fierce as ever, attacking relentlessly as Mayumi dodged and blocked.

"I dunno," Asuka panted as she swung the blunted sword and bounced the blade off the one Mayumi was using to block. "It's that or she actually believes what she says at the time."

"She's crazy?" Mayumi grunted as she took the blow, nearly sliding backwards on the training mat. "Could you go a little easier?" she grouched.

"If I go easier you don't learn," Asuka grinned as she swung.

Mayumi ducked, then in a move inspired more by pure exhaustion than anything else, managed to sweep Asuka's legs out from under her. With a yelp Asuka fell backwards, and seizing the advantage Mayumi jumped on her and pinned her to the floor.

"Ooof," Asuka grunted, looking up into Mayumi's eyes. She grinned suddenly, "Is that a recorder in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

"Hey!" Mayumi started right before Asuka flipped them around, getting Mayumi under her and pinning her with practiced ease.

"I've got you now, my pretty," Asuka joked, straddling the young woman.

Just then Misato Katsuragi walked in, the older woman blinking as she took the scene on the training mats in. "Kinky," she noted, "am I interrupting something?"

"No!" Asuka blushed furiously, scrambling off Mayumi.

Some devilish impulse seized Mayumi, and she got up and rushed over to Misato's side. "Oh, it was horrible!" she exclaimed, "She was relentless!"

"Hey!" Asuka protested.

"She kept shoving my face into the carpet...," Mayumi improvised as Misato fought back a snicker.

"HEY!" Asuka yelped.

"And then she..." Mayumi started.

Loudly Asuka said, "Remember, payback is a bitch."

Mayumi stopped then sighed. "You have no sense of fun whatsoever," she complained.

"Aww, just when it was getting good," Misato snickered.

To be continued!

Notes: I'm banging around changing this fic a bit into a full crossover with Silent Mobius and bringing in that cast as a rival to NERV. Thoughts? Opinions? Hell no? Let me know.


	7. Chapter 7

Demon City Tokyo

Seven

Deep beneath the NERV pyramid, Lilith waited.

Being a demon Lilith had no concern over time passing or the possible length of her imprisonment. She was ageless, or near enough for it not to matter, at the very worst she could simply out live her enemies. And resting in this place was a surprisingly entertaining prospect, really.

Lilith was not bound by human senses, and the lush, sexy redhead extended her consciousness up through the building. The small, human minds scurried back and forth, like mice in a maze, but there was something attractive in the glow of their minds. It had been that same glow that drew Lilith to Gendo and Yui, nearly twenty years ago.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

It was funny, how the two had reacted to her, back then .

Yui Ikari had lead the way into the cavern that had been Lilith's 'nest,' the light brown haired woman's flashlight showing the way. Her husband Gendo had followed carrying the pack of scientific equipment they needed, as well as a machete for protection.

As they entered the inner 'womb' of Lilith's bower the walls pulsed with pink life, lined with what looked like living flesh. Her scent filled the place, making both of them dizzy with long supressed desires and secret needs. Within the chamber Lilith rested nude on a 'bed' of flesh, looking at both of them thoughfully.

"What... is she?" Gendo managed to moan, his breath coming faster as the dark brown haired man looked at her with awe.

"Not human," Yui cautioned her husband. She frowned as she muttered, "The nasal filters aren't working at all...?"

Lilith actually laughed, her voice making both of them throb with need. "You can actually block my scent, little ones?" she asked curiously, still lounging provocatively.

"Yes," Gendo hissed, almost unwillingly.

Yui scowled at her husband, clearly annoyed that he seemed to be quickly falling under Lilith's spell. "Yes," she conceded, "but why are we so... affected by you, creature?"

"Creature?" she laughed, "Have you little ones forgotten me so soon? I am Lilith, mother of demons, creator of life itself!"

"Just what we thought!" Yui breathed out, even as Gendo began to shrug off his heavy back pack. "Wait!" she yelped as he ran towards Lilith.

"Come to me," Lilith purred, smiling at him.

Flinging his clothes aside Gendo almost fell into her arms. He had a moment of pleasure, possibly two, before the screaming began. Her arms closed around him as Gendo fought to free himself even as tentacles of Lilith's substance began to writhe and twist through his body. He jerked and convulsed in her arms, then stiffened.

Yui watched, frozen, as Gendo seemed to be pulled into Lilith, somehow. It was like his skin was a deflating balloon, the material of his body pouring into the creature below him. When he was empty Lilith cast the skin aside, rising to stretch gracefully.

"What did you do?" Yui managed, horrified.

Lilith stretched out, feeling her hunger sated in a way that she hadn't in a very, very long time. "Fed," she smirked.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

It had been so cute how indignant Yui had been! As if the sacrifice of a mere slave had been at all important. It wasn't until later that Lilith found out he had been Yui's mate, too, but still... he hadn't been important, really.

After that Yui took her from her cave and revealed the state of the world. Some fools had actually invoked her counterpart, Adam, and so doing signed their death warrant. But almost as soon as he was released Adam divided, splitting off warped, twisted reflections of himself. Like some kind of biblical plague his spawn spread across the world, slaughtering the summoners as well as feeding wildly on men.

Yui appealed for Lilith's help, and in the end she agreed to make a bargain with the desperate woman. Yui would provide her sacrifices, in return for the spawn of Lilith, who could fight against the children of Adam. Taking the sweet blood of Yui she took it into her womb, and Lilith then birthed daughters of her and Yui.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"She... looks a little like me," Yu murmured, looking at the girl who had been literally born only a few minutes ago.

Lilith lay back on the bed Yui had provided, along with the cabin away from the city and people. She tiredly pushed herself up as she said, "Well, she is our daughter after all."

The girl was pale, walking around the room curiously buck naked. In the time since she was born she had grown from a toddler to a twelve year old, her light blue hair growing to reach the small of her back.

Yui watched the child warily as she murmured, "I always wanted a daughter, we were going to call her Rei..."

"Rei it is," Lilith agreed as she got up, walking towards the girl who looked at her calmly. "Come here, Rei," Lilith ordered, drawing the girl close then shockingly offering her breasts to her mouth.

"Hmm!" Rei made a soft sound then began to suckle.

"What the...?" Yui yelped as Lilith moaned happily, clearly enjoying the breast feeding a bit too much.

"She's not human, Yui," Lilith told her, her eyes almost dreamy as the child drank her milk, "you can't feed her your food. It would be poison to her."

Rei was... actually getting taller as she drank, shifting from child to teen. Finally she pulled away, a strand of strange, orange fluid connecting her bottom lip to Lilith's nipple. She licked once more, then turned towards Yui with a questioning gaze.

Ignoring that Yui looked at Lilith, who seemed tired but otherwise unchanged. "So what can she eat, other than your milk?" she asked.

Lilith gave a smile that was nearly evil as she purred, "The children of Adam."

Rei walked over to Yui, circling her then looking at Lilith. "Food?" she asked.

"No," Lilith shook her head.

Without another work Rei strode outside, leaving Yui gaping in shock. Then with a cry Yui hurried out after her, even as Lilith chuckled evilly. Tiredly she went back to the bed, already knowing what was coming.

Rei had caught the scent of one of the monsters, in the hills nearby. Her 'hunting' instincts had already kicked in, and now she was going to go get it. She was a relentless, powerful hunter, with a mind that combined hers with Yui's. Human intellect and demon cunning, a combination she was sure would be victorious.

It took only a half a hour for them to return. Yui was splattered with gore, ichor dripping down from her hair and smeared on her cheek. Rei trotted after her, her hands drenched in the guts of the creature, as well as all around her mouth.

Yui looked like she was going to be ill. "She... she tore it apart! Then she started to...," Yui made a retching noise.

"She ate it," Lilith nodded, looking more amused than anything else. "This is the cost you will have to pay, Ikari. My children are a savage breed."

Yui was pale, but she gulped and kept herself from throwing up. "If they stop the creatures attacking humanity," she said bravely, "it'll be worth it."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Lilith smirked. Yui hadn't understood her warning, not really. She and Yui had created many sons and daughters, engineering the births with samples of other's DNA, trying to create the perfect hunters. The 'Rei' version had proven to be the most stable, but Yui seemed uncomfortable using her flesh and blood to kill.

Lilith had laughed when Shinji Ikari, Yui's son, had applied to become a hunter. Paired with a Rei at first they had killed and hunted well, but Yui had fretted for his safety. The Rei seemed to... sense the blood connection, protecting him, but also seeing him like kin. She was concerned what the Rei might do, so instead she engineered a new child of Lilith... Kaworu.

When Kaworu killed and violated Shinji, Yui had come down here with a baseball bat. The beating that followed was biblical, truly if Lilith could die of physical wounds Yui likely would have managed it. But Lilith regenerated, surviving even as her skull was crushed and her chest broken, laying in a bloody ruin at Yui's feet.

"Was it good for you?" Lilith gurgled through broken teeth.

The horrified, stunned look on Yui's face was almost worth the beating. Yui dropped the bat and staggered back, her face pale. Without a word Yui turned and fled, running out of the underground chamber as fast as she could.

Lilith pulled her shattered body together, healing as her kind easily did. Within minutes she was whole once more, the beautiful redhead looking with some regret at the orange blood splattered on the floor. Quietly she walked from the center chamber back to her bedroom, pausing in the door as she looked at the naked man Yui's men had tossed in a few hours ago.

Lilith watched as Ryoji Kaji came awake, the black haired young man looking around him in confusion. He moved and winced, grabbing his head as he groaned.

"Don't move, you've had a nasty shock," Lilith told him, fighting back a smile as his eyes widened at seeing her nudity.

Lilith watched the Special Inspector for the Japanese government look in awe at her breasts, then in a act of will yank his eyes away. "Where am I?" Ryoji asked gruffly.

'He's actually trying to be polite,' Lilith thought, 'how cute.' Aloud she said, "You're naked in my bedroom, young man."

That was when his nudity registered. Blushing furiously Ryoji scrambled for something to cover himself as he blushed pinkly. "How did I get here?" he asked, trying to cover himself with his hands, "Who are you, anyway?"

"I think Yui caught you digging where you shouldn't," Lilith guessed as she sauntered over to him, her unearthly scent washing over him. His eyes widened and glazed over, even as he seemed less aware of his nudity.

"I'm in trouble aren't I?" Ryoji managed to slur out as Lilith pressed against him.

"Yes you are," Lilith purred as she raked her clawed finger's down his back, drawing out only a whimpering moan, "I am Lilith and you? You are my food."

To be continued...

Notes: Yes, Lilith's blood & milk are orange, and probably LCL. Unlike Angels and her children Lilith CAN eat human food, but she prefers human flesh. Yui Ikari is feeding people to Lilith, secretly, usually people who know too much or become trouble to her.

Remember folks, stay on Yui's good side. Or else.


	8. Chapter 8

Demon City Tokyo

Eight

The streets of Tokyo were eerily silent as pieces of debris fluttered in the breeze. There were no animal sounds, no machines, just the soft hum of the still active power lines strung around the city. In this relative quiet a young woman walked the streets, looking for something.

Mari was a attractive young woman, walking the streets dressed in casual clothes. The baggy sweater hid her pert breasts, and jeans hugged her legs The overcast sky brought a chill to the winds, and she hugged herself to stave off the cold.

The city was deserted, on the surface, but there were places to go if you were in the know. Mari cautiously went down the alley, her steps graceful as she dodged piles of scrap, and reached a unmarked door. She rapped a certain beat, stopped, then repeated it.

After a moment the door opened and a older man stared down at her, frowning slightly. "You again," the man grumbled.

"Me," Mari agreed, "you gonna let me in or am I gonna freeze my ass off out here?"

He moved aside to let her by as he growled, "No trouble tonight, damn it. Or I'll boot you out for good."

"Yeah, yeah," Mari said as she went by him into the illegal bar.

Mari had found the place a few weeks ago on a monster hunt. She and her Rei had tracked and killed one of the creatures in a nearby building, and after the cleanup crew had picked up the remains she had taken a walk. Passing the alley she saw a man go inside, and curious she had investigated.

The low ceilinged room was somebody's living room, once. The furniture was taken out, replaced by a few tables and chairs, and a improvised bar was set up along the far wall. It was surprisingly busy, really, with nearly a dozen people drinking as Mari went up to the bar.

Kiddy Phenil gave Mari a scowl, the tall woman standing nearby the bar in her role as bouncer. Her auburn hair fell down past her shoulders, and she was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. The buff woman looked yummy to Mari, but had ignored her advances.

"You again," Lebia Maverick gave Mari a disdainful look as the blond poured drinks. She was damn good looking, with platinum blond hair and a great body, slim but well formed. She was also cold as ice, sadly.

"What a welcome," Mari teased, "you'd think I started a fight here or something."

"You DID," Lebia noted as she poured a drink for her.

"More like stopped it, with Kiddy over there," Mari said pointedly as she paid for her drink.

Kiddy made a humph noise, but did smile faintly. Not long after Mari's first visit a group of construction workers had gotten drunk and rowdy, and had proven too much for her and Roy, the door guy, to handle. Mari had joined in the rapidly escilating brawl and, together, they had driven out the drunks and pretty much thrashed the place.

Lebia sighed. "Just try to stay out of shit, huh?"

Mari ignored that, sipping her drink as she looked this evening's crowd over. They were a pretty sorry looking bunch, really, the scum who had been forced to stay in this demon infested town. Some people had jobs that kept them here, others just couldn't afford to get the hell away.

"Hey, Mari," old man Suzuhara nodded, the brown haired man sitting at a side table drinking beer. He was a engineer at NERV, which mostly involved him maintaining vehicles. His son and daughter were both in the hospital from demon attacks, which was why he stayed on. Paying their hospital bills took lots of cash, and NERV paid pretty well.

"Hey," Mari nodded back. She had once considered giving him a pitty fuck, but decided he was too old even for her. "How's the kids?" she asked.

"Toji's new leg is working out well," Suzuhara sighed, "he might be able to get out of the hospital soon. Little Miki, well..."

Mari patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. "Buck up," she told him insincerely, then headed off.

Kozo Fuyutsuki was the principal of the last functioning high school in Tokyo, currently. The grey haired old man looked bowed by age and experience, and he liked to hint that he had known Yui Ikari back in the day. Mari personally thought he was full of shit, but she could be wrong.

One of the penguins from the local convent was making the rounds, trying to 'save' the drunks. Mari had seen her around, a Sister Horaki. According to rumors she had worked at NERV a few years back, just after the first NERV in Tokyo opened, but had resigned. Sometime after that she found God and had been a nuicence ever since.

"You still picketing NERV?" Mari asked as Horaki was handing out pamplets to a nearby table full of men who were mostly admiring her body not the religious message.

Sister Horaki frowned down at Mari but willingly answered, "Of course we are. Yui Ikari has made a bargain with the Whore of Babylon, and must be stopped."

Mari snorted with amusement. Every day a dellegation of nuns and crackpot Christians came out waving signs at NERV declaring Yui the devil and NERV the home of demons. People pretty much ignored them, but it did get annoying.

"Didn't you work for Yui?" Mari confronted her. "You were okay with NERV to start with."

Sister Horaki looked at Mari with disapproval. "I have confessed my sins and am cleansed, unlike you and the others who serve there," she said. She fixed Mari with a intense glare, "Repent! Only that can save your soul!"

Before she could get into a full blown rant one of the other penguins went over to her side and took her arm. "Don't let her get to you," Sister Mikaho said the older woman led her away.

"Crazy nun," Mari sighed, taking a drink of her booze.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Music pounded through the room as the two women danced on the matching platform. "Nice moves!" the artificial voice encouraged, "Keep the beat! Excellent rhythm!"

"Does Dance Dance Revolution really count as training?" Mayumi panted as they finished another song and hopped off the pads.

Asuka, damn her, wasn't even out of breath as she said, "Yeah, it improves coordination and endurance, too." She looked amused, "Even Misato does it."

"Seriously," Mayumi gave her a look.

"Yup," Asuka said as they crossed the rec room to get some sodas, "she averages a 75% or so score. Pisses her off."

Mayumi snickered as they fed in tokens and got their drinks. She popped the lid on her iced coffee, sipping a bit as she watched Asuka. Ever since they had flirted a bit in a training session she had kept a bit of distance, which bothered Mayumi a bit.

"What?" Asuka asked as she opened a can of soda.

"Did I offend you, when we were joking around in that last training session?" Mayumi asked bluntly. "You've been... pretty distant since then."

Asuka looked startled, then flushed slightly. "I'm sorry," she said after a uncomfortable moment, "it's not your fault." She took a deep breath, "I had a... pretty horrific series of nightmares recently, and it's made it hard to sleep."

"That sucks," Mayumi conceded, knowing that nightmares were pretty common these days. Frankly she had had a few nasty ones, especially since coming to NERV.

Asuka hesitated a moment, as if debating saying something. "This is off the record, right?" she asked, reminding them both that Mayumi was a reporter as well as a Hunter.

Mayumi looked at her curiously but answered with a touch of annoyance, "Unless I have my recorder out and say it's on the record, it's off the record."

"Sorry," Asuka sighed. "The nightmare... well, it started with a woman having sex with me. Then things went horribly bad."

"Rei?" Mayumi guessed, getting a startled look in reply. She sipped her drink, "Me too, actually." She blushed as she clarified, "Sex dreams, I mean. Not the whole being eaten alive thing."

Asuka actually chuckled as they settled down on the couch together. "You too?" she smiled, "I'm relieved, I think."

"I think Rei just has this...," Mayumi searched for the right words. "Erotic energy, maybe? It might be from her desire to have kids but whatever it is, it's kind of hot."

"In a oddly creepy way," Asuna admitted. She looked at Mayumi as she said quietly, "You're a bit older than I am... is this normal?"

Mayumi sighed, not quite sure what to say. "Have you had feelings for other girls before?" she asked, stalling for time.

"I went to a girl's only academy," Asuna shrugged, "part of my skipping some grades. There were girls with crushes on upperclassmen, it was pretty common." She blushed, "I had a crush on a senior, but it never went anywhere."

"Okay," Mayumi sipped her drink. "I'm speaking as a Japanese, here," she cautioned. When Asuka nodded she continued, "In our culture, it's no big deal if, as a school girl, you mess around with other girls. It's sort of considered a stage of growing up."

Mayumi continued, "As a adult, it used to be frowned on somewhat more, but that's changed over the years." She drank a bit more, "Part of it has been people's attitudes changing, and part of it's been the demon invasion." She shrugged eloquently, "I don't most people really care anymore who you sleep with."

Asuka chuckled softly, "Well, I guess one good thing came out of the demon invasion."

Mayumi looked at Asuka curiously, "So you think you might be that way inclined?"

"Maybe," Asuka sighed. "I mean, NERV is pretty much staffed by hyper competant, admirable women. It's not surprising I get turned around a bit by them." She snorted with amusement, "Hell, I get tempted to take Mari up on her many offers."

"Better not, you might catch something," Mayumi said dryly.

Asuka snickered. "I don't think she's quite the slut she pretends to be," she pointed out as she finished her soda.

"You think it's an act?" Mayumi asked curiously.

"Wouldn't surprise me, Asuka shrugged. She got up from the couch and tossed her can in the recycling bin, "Thanks for the talk, Mayumi, but I think I'd better get to bed."

"Pleasant dreams," Mayumi nodded as Asuka left.

Mayumi finished up her own drink and dropped the can in the recycling bin. She debated trying Dance Dance Revolution again, but didn't want to humiliate herself. Instead she went to her quarters and lay down for bed.

It wasn't until much later that it occurred to Mayumi that Asuka might have been hoping she would proposition her...

To be continued...

Notes: Wanted to give Mari some depth, as well as cover day to day life for people in Tokyo. Also slipped in a few Silent Mobius characters.


	9. Chapter 9

Demon City Tokyo

Nine

Information gathering in the city of Tokyo was a complicated business. The demon hunters at NERV were now the city's primary employer, more or less, and the people living in the city were fiercely loyal. If you so much as criticized NERV word quickly got around, and you could end up with 'accidents' happening around you. Not that Yui Ikari ordered anything to happen, of course. That was the beauty of the situation. People needed NERV so bad that they would willingly take action against threats to the company on their own.

That's why, when Rally Cheyenne was hired by the Japanese government as a consultant to look into Tokyo and the ongoing demon problem, she opened up a dive bar. She had her staff pose as the operators and used the bar to get a feel for what was really going on in Tokyo, underneath the surface. Alcohol loosened lips, everyone knew that, and in good company people were more likely to say interesting things.

Lebia Maverick walked into Rally's office in a tower not far from NERV, the cool blond dressed in a casual business suit. She was tall, thin and quite attractive, but everyone agreed she was also totally inapproachable. "Ma'am," she nodded respectfully, "here's this week's report."

Rally took the files from her, flipping through the pages. "Hmm, Kozo needs to be more careful what he says when drinking," she noted. Kozo Fuyutsuki was the principal of Tokyo's last, declining, high school, but once upon a time he had been a rising star in science, a professor in a leading university. Or so he claimed.

"His story checks out," Lebia confirmed smugly. "He was indeed Yui Ikari's professor, right up until the first wave of demon attacks."

"And that's when he first starts hitting the bottle seriously," Rally mused. "Do we know why?" she asked thoughtfully.

"I can't confirm it, but there are implications he's tied up with the original, demon summoning cabal. Along with Yui and her missing husband, Gendo," Lebia smiled coldly. "Sadly, Yui's academic records and other data are buried very deep. I've had no luck finding any of it."

"Yes, sadly we can't prove any of this," Rally cautioned her.

"Yes, ma'am," Lebia conceded.

Rally sat back thoughtfully. "Are we having any luck getting into NERV itself?" she asked as she looked out the window at the increasingly run down city.

"Mr. Suzuhara is not happy with his current position and his childrens' health," Lebia told her, "but he's quite loyal, considering Yui is helping cover the medical bills. We've also made contact with other staffers, but we need to be cautious."

"Hmm." Rally nodded.

"We've also had several visits from Mari Illustrious Makinami," Lebia started to say, her voice getting just a little eager.

"No," Rally held up a hand before she could continue, "it's too dangerous to try to pump her. She's too close to Ikari and her stumbling over our operation is rather suspicious."

"You think she's a plant?' Lebia asked with a frown.

"I don't know if I'd go that far," Rally admitted, "but her accidentally stumbling over our facility is quite a coincidence."

Lebia nodded, "True enough."

"Has Ryoji Kaji responded through any of the message drops?" Rally changed the subject, bringing up the Japanese agent who was supposed to be infiltrating NERV.

"No," Lebia shook her head, "and he's quite overdue to send something out."

Rally puffed out a sigh. "I guess Yui must have caught him," she mused. "Do you think they're holding him somewhere, or if he's been sanctioned?" she asked coldly.

"Do you really think Yui is capable of that?" Lebia had to ask.

"Oh, certainly," Rally answered calmly, "after all, we still don't know what really happened to Gendo or the original Kaworu." She flipped through the pages on her desk as she decided, "I think we're going to have to assume he's gone, at least for now." Changing the subject she asked, "How are the weapons tests going?"

"We acquired a sample of some of the swords NERV is using to kill the demons," Lebia said, "a chip from one of Asuka's swords, actually. We've got a lab running a full spectral analysis, but so far it looks like a standard steel alloy."

Rally grunted. She had hoped there was something exotic about the weapons NERV was using. Her rational, scientific mind had a hard time griping the concept that seemingly extraterrestrial creatures could only be killed with swords and bladed weapons. It just seemed wrong somehow. Especially considering how resistant to standard guns they were...

Speaking of that Rally asked, "How's our other project going?"

"Kiddy and Nami successfully captured one of the creatures in the slums," Lebia said, "we carted it off before NERV could find it. They're weapon testing various arms against it, trying to determine what works and doesn't."

"Good," Rally nodded, "we need to be prepared to present a viable alternative to NERV and their approach to demon hunting. If we can do that, we might even take their jobs away..."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Meanwhile, in a very secure research lab, Kiddy Phenil was calmly shooting a shambling demon, her pistol blasting holes in it that quickly closed up. "Well, damn," the green haired woman scowled, lowering the gun.

Mana Isozaki made a note on her clipboard as the blue haired woman said, "Standard police issue, ineffective."

"Eep," Nami muttered, the younger woman stepping backward as the thing threw itself violently at the protective barrier, rattling the thick impact resistant glass.

"Don't worry," Mana told her, "the barrier is rated to withstand powerful impacts." She looked at Kiddy, "Do you want to move up to the Magnum?"

"Worth a try," Kiddy agreed as she picked up the heavier grade pistol. She loaded it then took the safety off before stepping into the shooting booth.

"If you use the 'Do you feel lucky, punk' line, I'm going to have to hurt you," Mana added.

"Aww," Kiddy pouted while Nami looked confused, clearly not getting the reference.

Mana watched as Kiddy hefted the heavy gun, taking aim at the shambling creature. She pulled the trigger, the weapon bucking, and the bang made her wince and Nami jump. But the higher calibre bullet blew a satisfying hole in the demon, even as the flesh stitched itself together.

"Damn," Kiddy exclaimed, "that slowed it down a bit."

"It's still healing though," Nami noted.

"But it did significant damage," Kiddy grinned. "Imagine if I had been using a machine gun! Wonder why NERV never used them?"

"NERV reported it tested various weapons on the demons and determined the swords were best," Mana noted as Kiddy shot the thing a few more times, recording the healing times.

"Right," Kiddy said skeptically.

Nami took the 'devil's advocate' position as she suggested, "Things were very crazy when the demon attacks first started, you know. Political leaders all over died, things were chaotic... maybe they never got the change to use much more than police specials against the attackers?"

"Yeah, maybe," Kiddy conceded reluctantly as she finished up closing the firing booth.

"All right, we'll move on," Mana said, even though she privately agreed with Kiddy. Either NERV hadn't properly tested all weapons against the demons, or they suppressed the data they discovered. "There is one reason swords might be preferred, however," she noted aloud.

"Huh?" Kiddy looked at her in curiosity.

Mana smiled slightly, "Swords don't run out of ammunition."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Yui Ikari scowled as she looked over the report leaked from the Japanese Diet, on the hiring of a consultant to investigate NERV. Why hadn't she heard about this sooner? Hell, she should have been able to completely nip this in the bud.

She shook her head, Yui sitting back in her chair. There was no time to be annoyed with her government contacts and their failure to notify her. It was more important to consider what the consultants might learn and possibly use against her.

What happened to Gendo was buried so deep there was no chance they could discover it. Lilith's existence too was something she had gone to great lengths to conceal, for obvious reasons. Yui felt certain that neither would become a problem. Hopefully.

The decision to use Youkai as 'hounds' to find the demons, as well as equipping her Hunters with bladed weapons would come under question, Yui knew. Still, she firmly believed it was the best choice to make. In their encounters with demons the police and regular army had all faired incredibly badly. People simply no longer trusted men with guns to save them.

It came down to building a mythology really. Or tapping into a old one. People WANTED to believe in young heroes taking up arms to save them, why else were there so many fictions about it? So Yui gave them what they wanted, and in the process helped people all over the world recover from the panic and terror that followed the first horrible wave of demon attacks.

'I very nearly saved the world,' Yui thought resentfully, 'and is this the thanks I get?'

The coincidence that Mayumi Yamagishi arrived here just before this investigation started bothered Yui, too. She had a complete background check, and Yui knew that Mayumi was clean. Yet her coming here now... it looked odd. She made a mental not to ask Ritsuko to do some digging into the reporter again, just in case.

Yui also found herself regretting eliminating Ryoji Kaji as quickly as she had. It now looked like he was at least connected to this new group, and possibly had been digging in NERV on their behalf. When Yui caught him he had been under the cover of a 'special inspector' while under that he had been a Japanese salaryman, too curious for his own good. Yui hadn't realized there might be three levels of deception involved.

'I wonder if Lilith adsorbed information from Ryoji Kaji when she ate him?' Yui wondered, knowing it was nearly time to see the demon once again. And there was the question of if she could trust anything Lilith told her. The demoness loved to lie, almost as much as she liked manipulating Yui.

With a sigh Yui shut off her computer and locked up the physical files. It was late, and it was time to go home. Her problems could wait until tomorrow...

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Demon City Tokyo

Ten

The problem with looking for things was, you don't always find what you want. The city of Tokyo had mostly been abandoned by the middle class, many of whom fled the city in hopes of finding somewhere safer. Or if not safer, at least more readily defensible. And when they ran, many abandoned almost everything they owned. And when there was abandoned property, there were scavengers.

Ken Aida had, once upon a time, a bright future. He was smart, well educated and his family was well off. That had all changed when the demon wave hit, of course. His mom was killed in the first few weeks, and his dad just kind of... broke down. Ken tried to stay with going to school, but increasingly he failed to see the point.

Now, the young men hurried up the smelly hall of the long abandoned building, mold growing in corners and along some damp walls. They checked doors as they went along, peeking into each suite before moving on. The open rooms meant someone had cleared the place out, but every now and then you got lucky.

"Hey looks like I got something," the leader noted as he tried a dirty door handle and found it still locked. Jiro Yamada had brought them together, and he was the one with the contacts to fence whatever they found.

"Could just be jammed," Ken noted as he reached the older boy's side. "Should we try breaking it down or...?"

"Nah," Jiro shook his head. He called up the hall, "Yuri! Come take a look at this."

Yuri claimed to be a real delinquent, having run with the gangs in Osaka. Ken wasn't sure how much he actually bought that, considering the guy was named Yuri. Still, he was VERY professional with his lock picks, which was why they kept him around.

"Hmm," Yuri carefully worked the slim pieces of metal in the lock, his brown hair falling into his eyes. "Not jammed," he noted after a moment, "it's locked. But it's a cheap one."

"Can you get it open?" Jiro demanded impatiently.

Quite cheerfully Yuri answered, "Dunno." Before Jiro could add any threats he continued, "It all depends on how corroded the inside of the lock is. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah," Jiro grumbled. He looked over at the other boy, "Aida, keep checking doors. We might get lucky again."

"Right," Ken agreed as he walked along the hallway trying door handles. Honestly, he didn't wanna hand around as they snipped at each other anyway. He found empty room after empty room, then headed back up to the locked door.

"There we go...," Yuri murmured in satisfaction as they heard the soft click. He turned the handle, but the door wouldn't budge.

"Jammed," Jiro sighed. He looked at Ken, "Gimme a hand."

"Right," Ken agreed as he applied his shoulder to the door. Both men thumped against the door, applying enough force to start it moving. The smell of decay wafted out from the opening, and both men flinched slightly.

"Whew," Yuri winced.

Jiro forced the door open, the bottom of the door scrapping on the moldy floor. The room inside was furnished, and there were indications that whoever had lived there hadn't fled when the demons began attacking.

Ken took in the room, a odd feeling of familiarity washing over him. Yes, there was mold and a scent of decay, but the room still seemed cheery, a home for a usual family. It reminded him of the days before the demons and how things went to hell for them all...

Jiro calmly said, "Jackpot. All right, start looking for jewelry boxes, safes and money. After that we'll see what comes up."

"Right," Yuri agreed as Ken followed.

The living room had a endtable with drawers, that Ken quickly riffled through. He found some money and a watch, as well as a few nick nacks. Not knowing if they were valuable or not he pocketed the stuff. Jiro was looking through the bedroom off to one side, Yuri digging through the study on the other side. Ken moved on to the kitchen, opening drawers for any odds and ends that might have ended up there.

"Gonna open the fridge?" Yuri asked curiously as he carried a box through the kitchen.

Ken gave him a look, "You think I'm nuts? It's probably full of rotten crap."

"You never know," Yuri stopped to point out, "some people stashed valuable stuff in fridges, when they thought they might still come back."

"You're kidding," Ken said as he hesitated to open up the door.

"Scout's honor," Yuri vowed.

Ken doubted he had ever been a scout, but... bracing himself, Ken grabbed the handle and pulled the fridge open. The smell of rot and decay washed over them, then Ken got a good look at what was in the fridge. "Urk," he choked them was violently ill.

"Fuck," Yuri breathed out in horror.

There were body parts on the upper rack of the fridge, half decomposed, but still recognizable as human. Underneath there was food, melted and rotted, and the combined smells were nearly unbearable. In behind the twisted pieces of anatomy some hair was visible too.

"Is that a head?" Ken managed, a bit of vomit clinging to his chin.

"Don't know and I don't wanna find out," Yuri decided as he firmly shut the fridge door. "Let's get Jiro and get outta here."

Ken rather shakilly wiped his chin off on his shirt. "Where is he? You'd think he'd have come looking after hearing you yell," Ken noted, not mentioning his own being ill.

Yuri paled slightly. "Fuck," he breathed out as they headed towards the bedroom.

The scent of rot, and something else, that lingered in the apartment got stronger as they headed towards the bedroom. Ken let himself fall behind a bit, a sense of growing danger slowing him down a little. Yuri opened the bedroom door, then froze as he made a gagging sound.

"Oh hell," Ken managed to choke out.

Jiro was ripped open, blood and gore surrounding where he fell. He was being straddled by what almost looked like a human woman, but her odd, grey green skin and white hair marked her as something else.

"Jiro!" Yuri yelled, charging into the room.

Ken hesitated, then gave in to common sense and bolted. He had seen what these demons could do, close up, and he had no intention of seeing it again. As he ran down the stairs only two things ran through his mind... could he get away? And how quickly could he contact NERV?

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Mayumi Yamagishi watched curiously as Asuka fiercely bawled out the unshaven, slightly scruffy young man who had called in the attack. She had known him, a few years back, when NERV had tried to keep the pilots in school and maintain a normal life for them.

'Wasn't there a demon attack at the school?' Mayumi recalled. She had a mental note to try interviewing the kid later. Maybe she could get two stories out of it, the demon attacvk and looking t how Tokyo's young people were slipping through the cracks.

Asukja stalked over, still looking annoyed. She muttered something unpleasant in German and added, "Damn idiot."

"Friend of yours?" Mayuni asked curiously.

"More a friend of Shinji's, but..." Asuka shrugged slightly. "Idiot should have come to me, if he was in trouble," she growled.

Mayumi though about pointing out he might have felt uncomfortable going to her for help, but decided to keep silent. Instead she asked, "So, how is this going to play out?" she asked, nodding to where members of the Tokyo Police waited nervously.

"We go in first with Rei," Asuka said, "but the police will follow us in, to investigate the body parts in the fridge Aida found."

"You don't think that was the demon?" Mayumi asked, feeling vaguely ill at the idea of a human being doing that.

"The demon's don't save food," Asuka shrugged, "and from Aida's description they'd been in there awhile."

"Eww," Mayumi shuddered visibly.

The two police women walked over, the taller one having the odd combination f green hair and tan skin. Mayumi wondered if it came out of a bottle, but considering the woman's muscle she wasn't gonna ask. The other woman was small and seemed oddly meek, but she also seemed somewhat intelligent too.

"I'm Detective Kiddy Phenil," the tall woman introuced herself, "this is my partner, Nami Yamigumo. Pleased to meet you."

Mayumi noted she didn't sound pleased. Asuka bowed slightly, "Likewise."

"I just want to go on record that I'm not pleased we're following you three in," Kiddy noted as they headed inside the abandoned building, "we should take point."

"Noted," Asuka shrugged, "but both your and my bosses agreed that I and Mayumi go in first."

Rei sniffed the air, the strange albino youma acting a bit of a bloodhound. "I can smell it here," she said as they passed the elevator and went to the stairway, "but it's faint."

Mayumi held onto her sword at her side as they all hurried up the steps. "Is it still here?" she asked Rei grimly.

"No way to know," Rei shook her head, "I'll have to get closer."

As they reached the right floor both cops drew their guns. Nami carried a standard police revolver, but Kiddy's was a oversized monster of a weapon. The group advanced until they reached the right apartment, then both Asuka and Mayumi drew their swords.

Asuka pushed the door open, the smell of decaying flesh washing over then. Nami gagged a bit, and Mayumi had to swallow to keep from doing the same. They advanced through the suite, checking each room until they hit the bedroom and the body.

"No demon," Kiddy noted, sounding just a bit relieved.

"Damn," while Asuka sounded disappointed. Shaking her head she said, "Get your forensics people up here and examine the fridge. We'll call our team and investigate the demon attack."

"Will do," Nami agreed.

Mayumi looked around, taking in the torn up corpse on the bed and the less damaged boy on the ground. The room reeked of demon even to her uneducated nose, but she looked at Rei curiously and asked, "What do you sense?"

"It fled," Rei confirmed, "not long ago. I can follow it for awhile, but it's scent is mixed with the decay of this place."

"Intentional, you think?" Asuka asked, but Rei just shrugged slightly.

Mayumi watched Asuka stalk around the room, frowning. She examined the pile of bedding in the corner, the bare bed and even went into the bathroom to look around. Finally Mayumi had to ask, "What's wrong?"

"It's not acting like a typical demon," Asuka admitted, "that worries me."

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Demon City Tokyo

Eleven

Kiddy Phenil studied Asuka, wondering what drove a girl like this. The redhead had been with NERV several years now, and was arguably their best hunter. That meant she was watched and studied a lot, but she seemed oddly normal, if somewhat arrogant. But studying the files was nothing like meeting the person in the flesh.

Asuka lead the way into the suite with the older reporter, Mayumi. She was more a unknown quantity, but Kiddy had been following her articles with interest. She had shown at least some of the downsides of working with NERV in Tokyo, and appeared unwilling to be a company propagandist. Of course, Kiddy wondered if that loyalty would hold if she knew the other things Yui Ikari was up to?

The two women checked the place out like a cop would, interestingly, advancing room by room. Nami looked up at Kiddy and softly asked, "Police trained?"

"Not that I heard, but the way they act makes me wonder," Kiddy answered. Once the demon sweep was over they advanced with the forensics squad, letting them examine the head in the refrigerator. They also kept a eye on the two hunters and the Rei youkai.

Mayumi looked around, taking in the torn up corpse on the bed and the less damaged boy on the ground. The room reeked of demon even to her uneducated nose, but she looked at Rei curiously and asked, "What do you sense?"

"It fled," Rei confirmed, "not long ago. I can follow it for awhile, but it's scent is mixed with the decay of this place."

"Intentional, you think?" Asuka asked, but Rei just shrugged slightly.

They all watched Asuka stalk around the room, frowning. She examined the pile of bedding in the corner, the bare bed and even went into the bathroom to look around. Finally Mayumi had to ask, "What's wrong?"

"It's not acting like a typical demon," Asuka admitted, "that worries me."

"You have a typical demon?" Kiddy had to ask from where she stood in a doorway nearby. Not that she expected a answer, but it was worth a shot.

Asuka gave her a look, but decided to answer seriously, it seemed. "They appear to be almost unreasonably violent, and act on very primal instincts. Eat, fight or fuck, pretty much," Asuka said to her bluntly.

"While this thing...," Nami started.

"It's planning, nesting... well, maybe. The ones I've ran into haven't done that," Asuka said. She frowned, "I'm going to call in, wait for me."

Kiddy scowled as Asuka moved off, using her cellphone to call in. Damn, she wished she could hear that conversation!

Mayumi looked at the two police officers curiously then asked, "You don't seem happy following NERV hunters. Why is that?"

Kiddy kept her reaction off her face, reminding herself that this was a successful reporter who was VERY good at reading people. "I think the police should be the ones to handle police work," she said diplomatically, "including protecting the citizens. I think we weren't really given a fair chance, during the first attacks."

Mayumi looked at her skeptically, "Not to be rude, but several police stations were out and out slaughtered in the first weeks. You can see why people have doubts?"

Kiddy wanted to snap at the younger woman, but she WAS right, damn her. "I think we're better prepared now, thank you," she answered instead.

Mayumi looked curious, "Could I interview both of you once we're done, tonight? I would be interested in seeing your perspectives."

"I'm sorry," Nami said to her diplomatically, "you'd need to clear any interviews with the department, first."

'Which,' Kiddy thought, 'was a polite way of saying no way in hell.' There was no chance at alkl their boss would want them interviewed. Before she could add anything Asuka snapped her phone shut and walked back to them. "What did NERV say?" she demanded.

Asuka gave her a frowning look but answered, "We need to do a area search, but Misato isn't confident we'll find anything. If the creature is acting this odd, it may be sharper than normal too."

Kiddy grunted, then opened her mouth to add something.

Asuka cut her off, "Of course, we don't want to take you away from your pressing police investigation, so Mayumi and I will head out. Good luck."

Nami saw Kiddy's face go purple and hurried to head off a explosion. "Thank you," she said swiftly, "you too."

"That little...," Kiddy grated out once they were gone.

"She's right, though," Nami pointed out to her respectfully but firmly.

Kiddy looked annoyed, but nodded choppily. "You're right," she conceded as they left the bedroom and went into the kitchen. The forensics team was carefully removing everything in the fridge, bagging and tagging each item.

"Gonna be awhile," the head of the team noted. "We need to take everything, in case of fluid transfer from the heads. We're also hoping to dust the interior, though the odd surfaces may create some problems."

"Any chance of a visual identification?" Nami had to ask.

Another forensics worker gave her a look. "It's a half rotted head, among several fully rotted ones," she said patiently, "the odds are pretty low."

"It's mostly intact though," Kiddy defended her collegue, "take a photo and run it through the station computers. We might get lucky."

"Thanks," Nami murmured to Kiddy as the grumbling tech shifted the head into the light and took a photo with her tablet and sent it to headquarters.

"It's nor likely," Kiddy shrugged, "but not impossible."

There was a chime from the tablet, the tech looked at it then blinked. "What?" Nami had to ask.

"Got a match," the tech sounded very very odd, "Lorenz Keel. The German magnate, bank executive and..."

"Assumed demon summoner, if the stories are right," Kiddy muttered, awed. "How the hell did he end up in a fridge in Tokyo?" she asked, exasperated.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Yui Ikari had a similar reaction as she looked at Misato. "Lorenz Keel?" she blinked, her glasses slipping down her nose.

Misato nodded, her own expression similarly bemused. "Yeah. Somehow he survived the demons, escaped Germany and disappeared. Then, as far as the forensics teams can tell, he reappeared in Tokyo a year ago, got offed and stuffed in a fridge."

Ritsuko drank some of her coffee. "Is that a exact date?" she wondered.

"A estimate. The fridge was running well, but they think there were power interruptions at times, which may have effected the rate of decay," Misato relayed.

"Which means?" Yui had to ask.

"There could be a few months margin for error there," Ritsuko said thoughtfully. She looked at Misato, "Can we stay involved with the case?"

"I have contacts on the force, but I can't promise they'll be able to keep us completely informed," Misato admitted. She looked at Yui, "Anyway you could get us put in charge? It does sort of apply to our jobs."

Yui made a face, "I tried, but there are politics involved. The city doesn't want to look like my lap dog, pretty much."

Neither Misato or Ritsuko pointed out the city pretty much was their lap dog, simply because it might irritate Yui. "Did you want the other bad news?" Ritsuko asked diplomatically.

"Oh what now?" Yui sighed.

"Mayumi has already filed a story on it. Just the publicly released information, with her own experience of being on the scene," Ritsuko explained.

"I knew I was going to regret having a reporter on staff," Yui sighed, though she didn't sound TOO bothered by it.

Misato shrugged, "I don't think she'd intentionally publish anything damaging, not without running it by us first at least."

That was pretty much Yui's feeling too. And if things went bad, she could always take steps. "Keep an eye on the situation, and let me know if anything changes," she told Misato. She looked at Ritsuko, "Hunter status?"

Ritsuko looked bored as she said, "Both Asuka and Mayumi check out normal, counting in residual excitement from the case etc etc." She looked amused, "Mari is also fine, other than the effects of her hitting that illegal bar we pretend not to know about."

"Why don't we shut these guys down again?" Misato wondered with a sigh.

"The city won't license bars, and people need to drink occassionally," Yui shrugged. "Besides, if we shut them down another will just spring up, this time with us NOT knowing where they are," she added dryly.

"Point," Misato sighed. "I'll talk to Mari, remind her to take it easier on the booze."

"Other than that, the pilots are fine," Ritsuko said, putting emphasis on the word pilots.

"All right, Rits, what else?" Misato sighed.

"You and Yui have been dodging your physicals," Ritsuko said seriously. "You're both past due, and it's important you stay healthy."

Yui sighed, "Ritsuko..."

"I'm serious, Yui," she cut her off as Ritsuko continued, "we deal with things we still don't fully understand daily. You at LEAST need to take your health seriously."

Yui studied Ritsuko a moment, wondering if the doctor would push. Deciding she would, Yui conceded, "Certainly, I'll be in in the next two days." She looked at Misato, "You too."

"Yes, mommy," Misato sighed.

"Oooh, kinky," Ritsuko smirked.

"Don't even go there," Yui ordered.

To be continued...

Notes: Next chapter might end up being lighter. Hopefully anyway.


	12. Chapter 12

Demon City Tokyo

Chapter 12

Megumi felt a degree of pride as she checked the news. Her latest story on the social breakdown in Tokyo had sparked a official investigation, and it looked like the Minister of Education was going to have to resign. Not that it was the poor bastard's fault, really, but a resignation was required to save face. Politics.

"Hey!" Asuka came into the dining hall, smiling. "Heard from Ken, he says you got him into school again?"

Megumi flushed slightly. "I know a teacher there," she explained, "and could pull some strings. Mind you, he's going to have to work to catch up, but..."

"He's got a chance, at least," Asuka agreed.

Megumi nodded. She'd interviewed Ken for her education story, about how badly victims of the demon attacks had fared. No counselling, not much financial support, families deserting you... it had been a disaster. And not just for Ken, lots of kids had suffered.

"Feeling guilty about that?" Asuka nodded to the paper.

"Not really," Megumi smiled wryly, "it's all for show anyway. He'll resign, the government will make various pledges to fix the problems, and in a few years he'll be back as a minister for another department and everything will carry on."

"And I thought I was cynical," Asuka laughed.

"I'm not that cynical, it's just...," Megumi paused, "look, I've been at this business a few years. Politics are cyclical, always. These guys come back, short of being killed."

"True," Asuka conceded before adding a bit defensively, "Well, I haven't really been following politics much."

"Even with the crowds of chanting protesters in front of here every day?" Megumi asked, looking at her in surprise.

Asuka shrugged, "They're just nutjobs."

Megumi looked at Asuka thoughtfully, wondering if she should tell her about the very real political opposition to the hunters. There were a lot of political factions at play, and at least some of them hated Yui Ikari's guts. Not to mention how much the politicians used the controversy to just get attention and drum up votes. Still, it wasn't something Asuka really needed to know.

Instead, Megumi asked, "Is Yui still pissed off at me?"

Asuka snickered, "No, not really. I mean, I think she knew when you came on board that you'd do things like filing a story without telling anyone."

"It IS kind of my job," Megumi said to Asuka drolly. "And you have to admit, it's news."

Asuka nodded, "That's true."

The shocking discovery of Keel Lorenz's disembodied head was still reverberating both through the news and the public awareness. He had been a wealthy, well known industrialist even before he became notorious as a demon summoner. Worse, there was a perplexing mystery around the story. How had he gotten from a fortified home in Germany to Japan, then ended up dead in a Tokyo apartment?

"Have they found the rest of him?" Asuka asked ghoulishly.

"Not yet," Megumi said, making a face.

The other mystery appeared to be what happened to the rest of him. So far, only his head had been found, and where the rest of his corpse was no one knew. The hunters had helped clear the building for the police, who now had forensics teams searching high and low. So far, the only body parts found were in the one room.

"How are you getting along with those cops?" Asuka asked curiously. She frowned, "There was something... odd about them."

"Hmm," Megumi nodded. "Something, yeah. They're a private security firm pitching police services to Tokyo, as I understand it. All very hush hush. I had to push my political sources even to find out THAT."

"As in, replacing us?" Asuka raised her eyebrows.

"That's the subtext, but I'm not hearing anything overt saying so," Megumi answered. She shrugged, "And no one with them will say anything to me, on or off the record." She looked cutely thoughtful, "Gee, do you think they might have something to hide?"

Asuka snorted with laughter. "You're gonna dig into this, aren't you?"

"Damn right," Megumi nodded.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"AAAAAA!" Misato yelped.

"Oh, hold still," Ritsuko growled as she grabbed the other woman.

"Can you at least warm up the instruments?" Misato complained as she sat back down on the examination table.

"Wimp," Ritsuko answered. "If you actually came in to your monthly physicals willingly, I wouldn't have to take steps like this."

"You're a sadist," Misato sighed. As the cold instruments ran along her back she winced, "Argh. I usually expect a woman to at least get me dinner before doing nasty things to me."

"Yeah, yeah," Ritsuko laughed, "stop fishing for compliments."

Misato patiently bore the poking and prodding, tho she occasionally pointed out when Ritsuko got TOO rough. "Okay," she said when Ritsuko jabbed her with a needle the size of a harpoon, "are we done yet?"

"Cry baby," Ritsuko snickered, "yes, we're done. Get dressed."

"Oh thank god," Misato sighed as she pulled on her shirt and pants. "Did you get Yui into your chamber of horrors too?" she asked.

"Yes, this morning," Ritsuko shrugged, "she whines less than you do, though."

"Meanie!" Misato laughed and swiftly escaped.

Ritsuko put the samples in for analysis as she typed a preliminary report on Misato. Then she picked up Yui's report thoughtfully. She COULD just send it via inter office mail, but... the odds were good Yui would ignore it.

Leaving her office Ritsuko headed to the elevators, smiling wryly as the doors opened to reveal Maya Ibuki. The boyish young woman blushed, "Ma'am."

"You can call me Ritsuko, you know," she purred, standing JUST near enough to make the younger woman nervous.

"Yes, uhm..," Maya stammered sweetly. She jabbed the open button and hurried off as she blurted, "Excuse me!"

Ritsuko pouted as she saw her hurry off. She REALLY needed to let the poor girl know she was onto her. Tho that might spoil Misato's fun...

Yui Ikari's secretary was a cool, calm looking young woman that Ritsuko REALLY wondered was a youma. Normal people don't come that calm and composed, damn it. "Doctor Akagi," Yuki Nagato nodded, "you are not on the day's schedule."

Ritsuko smiled faintly, "Can you fit me in?"

Yuki just STARED at her a moment, blankly, then looked at her computer. "I believe so," she finally said, "go right in."

"Thank you," Ritsuko smiled as she went by.

Yui Ikari was looking out the window as Ritsuko entered, but turned to see her. "Ah, Rits. Just the ray of light my day needed," she said dryly.

"Love you too," Ritsuko tossed the report on her desk as she asked, "Do you want the bad news or the bad news?"

"Go ahead," Yui sighed.

"You are BADLY underweight, anaemic and malnourished," Ritsuko said, "if I didn't know better, I'd think you were on a fad diet."

"Don't joke," Yui grumbled.

"I'm perscribing a new batch of multivitamins," Ritsuko handed her a sheet of paper, "and I would suggest more iron in your diet. The cafeteria also offers balanced meals, if you'd actually go in there and eat."

"Yes mother," Yui pouted.

Ritsuko rolled her eyes as she reminded her, "Keep in mind you gave me authority over you, at least in medical matters. If I have to I will order you to take time off."

Yui sighed, "All right, all right. What do you want, a contract signed in blood?"

"Considering how thin your blood is...," Ritsuko noted mildly then headed out.

To be continued...


	13. Chapter 13

Demon City Tokyo

Thirteen

"Well, crap," Rally Cheyene muttered mildly as she looked at the front page of the paper and found her fledgling police force front and center.

'Police for Hire!' the banner headline read, then bellow was a somewhat less sensational story about her selling police services to Tokyo. It was actually reasonably ballanced as a story, presenting both upsides and downsides from the proposal.

"How the hell did this happen?" Lebia Maverick asked, the cool blonde actually looking just a bit flustered.

Rally sighed as she put the paper down. "I wasn't really that surprised," she admitted, "the incorporation papers are publicly filed, after all. I just never expected someone to put all the facts together that quickly."

Lebia nodded, though she disagreed. They had gone to quite a bit of trouble to obscure those facts, after all. She picked up the paper, noting the reporter's name and muttered, "Her."

"Mayumi Yamagishi, yes," Rally agreed, "it seems we under estimated her."

The reporter was working with NERV and it's Hunters, and had already published several dangerous stories, from their point of view. Therefore they really shouldn't have been surprised when she went digging into them, too.

Lebia shook her head, "I'll do some checking with our sponsors, discretely. I expect they aren't going to be happy about this."

"Thank you," Rally said, "and we'll have to check in with city hall. I doubt the Mayor will be pleased about this too."

"Yes, ma'am," Lebia agreed as she filed out.

Rally sat back with a sigh. Thankfully the story wasn't THAT damaging, but it would certainly be bad public relations. Despite people knowing that police are paid, they didn't want to imagine that they could be a commercial venture. It was a odd blind spot people had.

'I wonder if Yui Ikari suggested this story idea to her?' Rally wondered, 'Or was that giving too much credit to the head of NERV?'

The phone rang and Rally picked it up, only to wince. "Yes, Mr Mayor," she sighed, and braced herself for a long rant.

Meanwhile, two other young women were having a similar conversation over the morning paper. "I'm gonna kill that bitch," Kiddy Phenil growled, the tall, green haired woman clutching the crumpled up newspaper in her fist.

Nami sighed, "That'd be a BIT much, Kiddy."

"Wanna bet?" Kiddy scowled.

Nami rolled her eyes, "You'd do badly in jail, Kiddy. Trust me."

Kiddy scowled. She hadn't liked the reporter when they first met, and she liked her even less now. Worse, she had mentioned her AND Nami by name in her story, repeating their 'no comment' quotes and implying they were hiding something sinister.

"Maybe we should have agreed to a interview," Mami sighed, the shorter woman walking over to get a coffee.

"You're kidding," Kiddy blinked from the cafeteria table she was sitting at.

"No comment doesn't seem to have been a good idea," Nami noted, summarizing their earlier encounter with the reporter.

"Okay, point," Kiddy conceded that reluctantly. "But no way would I want to be interviewed," she said flatly.

"Hmm," Nami didn't say anything else, knowing some of the things Kiddy had survived during the first demon attacks. Of course, they all had their stories.

"Coffee ready?" Mana asked, the other woman coming in from the weapon's lab.

"Yeah," Kiddy said then held up the thrashed paper, "Seen the news?"

"I read it before you did," Mana noted wryly as she poured herself some coffee. "Congrats on your news debut, Miss No Comment."

Kiddy just growled at that.

"More weapons testing today?" Nami tried changing the subject.

"That's the plan," Mana shrugged, "we've got some heavier rifles to try against the demon. Still having a hard time tracing down a chain-feed machine gun."

"Isn't that a BIT much?" Kiddy blinked.

"It heals up too fast for conventional guns, I'll give Yui Ikari that," Mana shrugged, "but it does look like machine guns are the answer."

Nami shook her head wryly, "Try to keep the mess under control."

"That's half the fun," Mana grinned.

"Mind if I help out?" Kiddy asked after a moment. "I could use a chance to work out some of my frustration, today."

"Sure," Mana grinned and the two headed out together.

Nami watched them go and sighed to herself softly. "Why do I get a bad feeling about this?" she muttered.

"You have some degree of common sense?" Yuki noted, the youngest member of the group having come in to get a soda.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Mayumi was groggy as she came awake, the left overs of a night of drinking vodka. She winced as the light stabbed into her eyes, and groaned softly.

"Hmmm," another voice groaned.

THAT woke Mayumi right up as she realized someone was in bed with her. Shifting the blanket a bit she saw a startling red-orange tuff f hair, then carefully moved the sheet more to reveal Asuka was snuggled up to her.

'How the hell?' Mayumi thought, trying her best to remember what exactly had happened last night.

Asuka had come to her room with the bottle of decent vodka, somehow having slipped it by Misato and Ritsuko. She had said something about wanting advice, and had poured the drinks with some coke. Sadly, she wasn't that good pouring drinks and swiftly succumbed to the booze before she could ask whatever she wanted to ask.

'Right,' Mayumi remembered, 'I figured there was no way to get her back to her room so I just dumped her in bed.'

Before Mayumi could try shaking the girl awake, the door to her room slammed open. "I wondered why Asuka wasn't answering." Misato noted, looking amused.

"Ack!" Asuka was startled awake, nearly falling out of the bed, still dressed in last night's skimpy top and shorts.

"Thank you for knocking first," Mayumi scowled, glad she was at least in bra and panties.

"Sorry," Misato said completely unapollogetically, "but we've got a alert. Demon on the run in midtown, and it's a populated area."

Asuka swore softly as she shook her head. "I feel like death warmed over," she admitted to her woozily.

Making a split second decision Misato said, "Okay, you are benched for now." She looked at Mayumi, "You okay with working with Mari?"

"As long as she keeps her hands to herself," Mayumi said dryly.

"Hey!" Asuka protested, "I still can..." She trailed off as she went a lovely shade of green. With a muffled excuse me she bolted to the bathroom.

"Oooh," Mayumi winced.

Misato also looked sympathetic. "I'll send Ritsuko down to take care of her," she promised, "now let's go."

"Right, sorry Asuka," Mayumi called as she followed Misato out.

Misato had her phone out, "Yeah, Asuka's sick. Well. Actually hung over. Yeah, please take care of her..."

They hurried over to Mari's room, where Misato actually knocked. "Very nice," Mayumi noted dryly.

"I try," Misato said, then knocked again.

"What the hell?" Mari asked as she opened the door, clearly having just woke up. In the nude.

"Good morning," Misato took the nude woman calmly as she said, "we've got a demon attack. Ready to roll?"

"Five minutes," Mari said and slammed the door in their faces.

"So," Misato turned to Mayumi, "why DID you and Asuka end up in bed together?"

To be continued...


	14. Chapter 14

Demon City Tokyo

Chapter 14: Christmas

It hadn't snowed in Japan since the Event, and there was no sign of any this year either. It had gotten a bit cooler as the year came to an end, but that was all really. Tokyo was quiet as a chill wind blew through the city, stirring up garbage and sending rodents scurrying to safety.

"Yui Ikari. A pleasure," Rally Cheyenne said with false cheer, the other woman looking a bit warily at the elder.

Yui smiled back wryly, "No, the pleasure's all mine.

The mayor of Tokyo grunted, the older man clearly amused by the greetings. "I'm sure," Koichi Hashimoto said dryly. He continued, "You're welcome to use these meeting rooms. Try not to kill each other." With that he left, shutting the door behind him.

There was a beat of silence as the women studied each other. The brown haired, slightly older Yui and the almost silver blue haired Rally, both driven, powerful women with their own agendas.

"As I requested this meeting," Rally broke the silence, "I suppose I should put my cards on the table first."

Yui tilted her head to the side, as she mused "I would think I'm reasonably well informed. You are a wealthy European heiress, you are founding a private police firm to hunt demons and you want to open up shop in Tokyo."

"All correct," Rally conceded willingly. "But I suspect you do not know why."

Yui raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"My father was Lorenz Keel. I am the inheritor of his coven, SEELE, and I have dedicated myself to destroying his legacy," Rally said evenly.

THAT was a surprise, Yui had to admit.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Much later that evening, a pissy cool rain had begun to fall. A figure hunched in the rain, trying to keep a battered umbrella in place. He hammered on the unmarked door, "Yo!"

Roy opened it, looking the man over disdainfully. "Come on," he moved, letting him inside.

"How do you think she took the bombshell?" Kiddy asked as they stood watch over the underground bar.

Nami gave her a look, "Don't act like you enjoy this so much."

Kiddy snickered. "Well, it's nice to see Ikari get shocked."

Lebia Maverick was watching the bar, the tall blond serving drinks with her usual efficiency. They had also decorated up the bar for Christmas, tho that wasn't saying much. There were some tinsel decorations, some garlands, and at the end of the bar someone had set up a small, fake tree.

The rest of the team was back at the station. Someone needed to guard their pet demon, after all. They were confident in their restraint technology, but still...

"I still don't like the idea of allying with NERV," Lebia admitted to Kiddy quietly. "We KNOW Yui is dirty..."

"We don't know that," Kiddy noted equally quietly. "Yes we're reasonably sure they lied about the guns effectiveness, but it takes heavy weapons to kill demons. And damn it, even our tests show swords DO work better really."

"Yeah, yeah..." Lebia made a face.

Nami rather suspected that Lebia was envious of the great computer tech NERV had. Her own system back at base was puny in comparison.

"Hey," Old Man Suzuhara staggered up to the bar, "you serving or just chatting?"

Kiddy stepped up to visibly loom over the older man. "Have you got a problem, sir?" she asked him mildly.

Suzuhara looked up at her and gulped. "No, ma'am," he said weakly.

"What'll it be?" Lebia asked mildly.

"Beer," and mug in hand he retreated to his table.

With a wry smile Nami noted, "Please don't make the customers piss themselves in terror, Kiddy. Mopping up the floor is troublesome."

"Yeah, yeah..." Kiddy laughed.

"Getting near midnight," Lebia noted as she poured them each a shot of rum.

"Merry Christmas," Nami toasted, and they all clinked glasses together.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The sword clanged against a hard shell as Mari cursed loudly. "It's armored! That's fuckin' cheating!" she yelled.

"Yeah, yeah," Asuka said as her Rei charged in to grapple with the huge demon.

If they had to guess the thing was about seven feet tall, and broadly humanoid. It's body was more like a large wedge than human shaped, with long, snakey arms and short stubby legs. Despite the legs it moved quickly, and it could half curl up to use it's armored back to shield itself.

Asuka manoeuvred as Rei tried to come to grips with the bigger monster. "We need larger Reis," she muttered as she looked for an opening.

"I'm sure Yui will approve of giant Rei copies," Misato noted over the communications net.

"Heh," Asuka grunted as she chopped at an exposed arm. The thing yelped in pain, but that was about all.

"Mayumi HAD to take a day off," Mari muttered as they circled the thing. Her own Rei was out cold in a corner of the room, caught by a back hand blow by the creature.

"Unlike some of us she has a family she'd like to see over the holidays," Asuka noted dryly.

Mari snorted at that. "Fuck Christmas," she growled.

"Language," Rei scolded mildly.

Mari blinked at her. "Da fuq?" she asked.

"I think Mayumi's been a bad influence on her," Asuka said, visibly amused.

Mari shook her head even as she nimbly dodged another arm lashing from the demon. "Rei, can you grab it from behind so we can skewer the damn thing?" she asked.

Rei looked questioningly at her partner, Asuka.

"It's a good plan," Asuka agreed, "Do it. Just be careful."

"Understood," Rei nodded. As Asuka and Mari attacked it from the front to try to keep the demon's attention, Rei carefully slipped behind it. Creeping up near silently she waited until it reached out to attack, then grabbed it from behind.

"Urhh!" the demon roared as it struggled in her grip.

Both Asuka and Mari lunged forward, swords biting into it's soft guts. The thing arched back, then shockingly it's innards... exploded outwards.

"AWK!" Asuka yelped as she and Mari were doused in dark purple demon ichor.

Mari was purple head to toe. Worse, she had been yelling when gooped. "Pfft!" she spat out a stream of purple blood.

"You all right?" Asuka asked as her Rei began to tear bits off the demon to eat.

"Just dandy," Mari spat again, even as bells rang out in the city. "Merry Christmas," she growled as she pushed her soaked hair back.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Showers. Now," Misato ordered briskly as the two sodden hunters returned.

"This is revolting," Mari sighed as the two nearly purple young women, and two Reis, walked down the hall.

"And Ritsuko wants you all in her lab after!" Misato called after them.

"Tell her to warm up the instrument trays," Mari answered tiredly.

Misato snickered softly as she walked back to the main command center. Luckily there was little demon activity tonight, and she and her staff were mostly just keeping an eye on things.

"Everything's quiet," Maya reported. "How are the girls?" she asked.

"Slimed," Misato answered with a little laugh. "Fine otherwise, and Rits will check them over just in case."

"Heh," Maya smiled. "Did you get my gift?" she asked quietly as they stood by Misato's desk.

"I did, thank you," Misato said. She winked, "If you like we can try it out together...?"

Maya went amusingly pink. "I'd like that," she agreed, "let me know when."

"Will do," Misato agreed as the younger woman hurried off.

Yui Ikari ambled over, drinking from her cup of coffee. "Merry Christmas," she said, smiling faintly. "Should I continue to pretend you two aren't sleeping together?" she asked mildly.

"Probably a good idea," Misato shrugged, "while there's no official rule against it, the boss likely wouldn't want to know."

Yui gave Misato a look. "Not to judge, but it's not the most psychologically healthy relationship," she added dryly.

"I'm aware she's using me to try to get Ritsuko's attention," Misatio said calmly, "and I'm okay with that. It's not serious on my end."

Yui was clearly skeptical but decided not to push.

"What did Rally and her ADP cohorts want to see you about?" Misato changed the subject.

"She's interested in ending the infighting and making a partnership of some kind," Yui said, leaving out the revelations of Rally's parentage.

"What's in it for us?" Misato asked wryly.

"Hmm," Yui nodded wryly.

To be continued...

Notes: Not really in a Christmas mood this year, as you can guess. So this is pretty much my official 'X-Mas fic' this year.

In Silent Mobius canon Rally is the daughter of a demon. I wanted to kind of bring that over, so her biological dad is Keel. Which will tie into his body turning up in Tokyo, eventually.


	15. Chapter 15

Note: The author must regretfully inform you that Hiromi Tsuru the actress who played Kiddy Phenil and dozens of other parts, has passed away.

Demon City Tokyo

"Merry Christmas," Lilith purred as Yui Ikari entered her underground prison and carefully locked the door behind her.

"Shouldn't you... I don't know. Burst into flames saying that?" Yui asked as she took off her labcoat and unbuttoned the top buttons of her blouse.

Lilith laughed throatilly. "I predate your little Christ by many thousands of years," she said as she lounged on the bed.

Yui tried to not let that thought disturb her.

"Did you bring me a gift?" Lilith teased.

Yui sighed as she set out a bottle of wine. She had found Lilith was easier to deal with using bribes, even though it was annoying. What she wanted to do was beat her into submission, but that really wasn't an option.

"Oooh!" Lilith grinned.

"NOT until I get what I want," Yui added with a growl.

"Of course, mistress," Lilith said tauntingly.

Yui gave her a look as she continued, "Lorenz Keel. He and his coven opened the Earth to the Adamite demons."

"And you used me and my children to fight them," Lilith nodded.

Yui ignored that comment at as she continued, "Do you have any information on what happened to him after that?"

Lilith looked intrigued. "Something happened to him?" she asked.

"So you don't know," Yui said, disappointed.

Lilith shrugged. "If they had summoned me, there would be a connection between us. Sadly, without that all I would have to help me sense them would be their general power in magic," she explained calmly.

Yui mentally filed that info away. It was... faintly disturbing knowing Lilith could probably chase her down. "You dealt with Kaji for me," she started.

"You mean I ate him," Lilith calmly corrected. "Let's not pussyfoot around things, hmm?" she mocked her.

She KNEW Lilith was baiting her, but it was still hard to keep her temper. "Ate him, then," Yui accepted that, "so I wanted to ask: can you make a youma based on him, with his knowledge intact?"

Lilith looked intrigued, but shook her head. "Possibly right after I ate him," she mused, "when he was still mostly intact. I've digested him at this point."

Every now and then, Yui forgot she was dealing with a inhuman entity. But conversations like this reminded her of that very well.

"Aww, I've disturbed you," Lilith looked more amused than bothered.

Yui wanted to chuck the wine bottle at her, but restrained herself. Instead she uncorked the bottle, and poured two glasses.

"Planing to liquor me up and take advantage of me?" Lilith teased as she sipped.

Yui ignored that too. "I brought a sample of Ritsuko's blood," she took the vial from her pocket, "create a youma based on this."

"Interesting," Lilith took it from her, "you want a more clinical sort of youma?" Lilith looked amused, "Or just a very repressed lesbian one?"

Yui had to fight back a smirk. "I'd like to try to get her self-control," she admitted, "the usual Rei's... Reii? Anyway, they're often too blood thirsty."

"I can't promise that effect," Lilith cautioned. She finished her wine, then slugged down the blood. "Yummy," she smirked.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Mayumi Yamagishi was on her way back to Tokyo, after spending Christmas eve and day with her family.

Mom had, of course, been worried over all the demon attacks in Tokyo, and hadn't been reassured over her commenting that at least she was armed. Her Dad, on the other hand, had been quite proud of her repeated cover stories, and the national syndication deal.

Her sister, of course, didn't care at all. Though she DID hint, in a round about way, that she'd appreciate a Asuka autograph.

The bullet trains still connected regions of Japan, even after the demon infestation. A rider of the trains twenty years ago wouldn't see much difference, but there were some. There were guards walking the length of the train, swords belted on their side. The doors and windows were thicker and armored. And most shockingly, the trains could no longer guarentee to be extactly on time.

"Coming into Tokyo, Tokyo Central Station," the announcement declared.

They pullred into the station and the few remaining passengers filed off. Mayumi shouldered her bag, inclusing the traditional 'Ugly Sweater' and other gifts, then belted her sword on again. She had gotten a few odd looks, but producing her Hunter license stopped that quickly.

Once upon a time Tokyo Station would have been crowded with commuters. Now her and a trickle of brave souls were the only ones there, heading out onto the street level where armored taxis waited to pick up rides.

Maya Ibuki looked amused as she stood there with a sign reading 'Mayumi.'

"You didn't need to come pick me up," Mayumi noted, smiling.

Maya shrugged, "Other than a attack on Christmas, it's been quiet."

Mayumi followed Maya to her waiting car, "Everyone okay?"

Maya used her remote to key open the doors as she teased, "Everyone's okay, other than getting badly slimmed."

"Slimmed?" Mayumi asked as she sat in the passenger's side.

"The demon they were fighting pretty much exploded over them... it was quite a mess," Maya smiled impishly.

"PLEASE tell me someone got photos," Mayumi laughed.

"I promise we saved the security footage," Maya grinned.

The trip to headquarters was quiet, and the streets were almost deserted. It would have been creepy, once, but they were mostly used to it by now.

"Oh, I know it's a bit late..." Mayumi got a small package out and passed it to Maya.

"Thank you," Maya looked a bit surprised.

"Chocolates. I got some for all the staff," Mayumi said. "As a thanks for watching over me, sort of gift," she explained.

"Well, thank you," Maya said again as they pulled into the underground parking, then headed off to her duties.

"Hey, you're back early!" Asuka declared as soon as she saw her. "Missed us?" the flaming orange haired woman teased.

"Yeah, I couldn't bear to be apart from the fun filled life of monster slaying," Mayumi teased right back, hugging her.

Asuka just laughed. "You missed the big gift exchange, but we still got you something," she noted, leading her to the dining hall.

"Welcome back," Mari Makinami waved from where she was sitting at the table. There was a fake Christmas tree in one corner of the room, with packages under it.

"Hey," Mayumi waved back.

"Oooh! Open mine first!" Mari insisted as she got up and joined them.

"Is it obscene?" Asuka had to ask.

"A little?" Mari smirked.

Asuka looked at Mayumi, "Open it first. Get it over with."

"Hey!" Mari yelped.

Mayumi snickered as she unwrapped Mari's present first. "Illustrated 101 sex positions, with Blu-Ray?" she blinked.

"Oh god..." Asuka shook her head.

"And if you need help with the more advanced positions..." Mari teased.

"Slut," Mayumi shook her head.

"Smile when you say that," Mari laughed.

"Mine's somewhat more boring," Asuka noted as she handed her a package.

"I kill monsters for Yui Ikari and all I got was this Lousy T-Shirt," Mayumi read the front of the shirt then laughed.

"I got your gift, by the way," Asuka held up the pendant Mayumi had gotten her for the gift exchange, "Thanks."

"I saw the 'angel with a sword' design and thought of you," Mayumi admitted.

"You two need to get a room," Mari teased.

"Down, girls," Misato sauntered in, looking amused. "Have a good Christmas, Mayumi?" she asked politely.

"Other than my Mom driving me crazy about living in this 'Demon infested hell-hole' it went okay," Mayumi said wryly.

Misato shrugged, "It may be a 'Demon infested hell-hole' but it's OUR 'Demon infested hell-hole,' really," she said.

To be continued...

Notes: LONG gap in updating. Life, minor break down, etc etc. Sorry. I'm quite bummed over Hiromi Tsuru's death.. not only did she do Kiddy, but Bulma from Dragonball and Leona from Tank Police. Sucks.


	16. Chapter 16

Demon City Tokyo

Chapter Sixteen

Misato smirked as she used her 'christmas gift' to mount Maya from behind. She pulled at the younger woman's hair as she thrust in hard.

"Ah," Maya moaned as the strap on plunged into her depths.

"You are SUCH a slut," Misato teased. "Yui would be SOOO shocked to see her cute assistant doing this," she teased.

Maya bucked, her hips thrusting upward. "oooh," she gasped.

Misato often wondered how embarassed Maya would be if she knew that Yui was aware of them. Part of her wanted to tell her, but...

With a groan Maya orgasmed, her back arching as she shuddered. After a moment she slumped down, laying there bonelessly.

"You came without permission," Misato noted. "Naughty naughty..."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Rally Cheyenne was in her office, even though it was New Years Eve. The work didn't do away, after all, and she wasn't in the mood to go party. (No one had invited her too, but she wouldn't admit that.) "How is the Keel investigation going?" she asked.

Lebia checked her tablet screen, though she pretty much had everything memorized. "For various political reasons it's been passed to Tokyo city detectives," she noted, "but we're assisting them, obviously."

"Any progress?" Rally asked.

"Some. We've determined how Keel got himself into Japan. A bribed customs person and a uninspected container," Lebia told her calmly. "The man is going to be charged, obviously, though we're still deciding what charges to lay."

"See if you can get a interview with him," Rally noted. "It might not have just been money that was motivating him."

"SEELE cultist?" Lebia wondered.

"It's possible," Rally shrugged.

"We have a unconfirmed series of sightings of Keel in Japan, but nothing I'd consider reliable. I think people are trying for the reward money," Lebia said frankly. "There IS one thing that's a common feature in the sightings."

"Oh?" Rally asked.

"They were all at Shinto shrines or temples, especially in and around northern Japan," Lebia noted. "Was he looking for forgiveness?" she asked wryly.

"I rather doubt that," Rally sighed. She continued, "Good work. Keep digging at it... we may find something useful."

"Yes ma'am," Lebia agreed. "Uhm... Nami, Kiddy and the others are closing out the new year at the bar. You could come if you like?"

Rally smiled wryly, "Thank you for the invitation, but I'll pass. Have fun though."

One Lebia left Rally dimmed the office lights and looked out over Tokyo. WHY had Keel come here, of all places? He had been safe in his home in Germany. The place had been a fortress with well paid, loyal guards. He could have held out there near indefinately. Yet he had smuggled himself into Japan, wandered the north, ended up in Tokyo and was decapitated.

And where was the BODY?!

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"WHY a demon on New Year's Eve?" Mayumi complained bitterly as they strode through the abandoned high rise.

"I guess it's a sign they hate us?" Asuka suggested wryly as they peered into doorways.

Rei was slightly ahead of them, following the trail by scent. "The demon is not far away," she cautioned them.

"Lead the way," Asuka ordered.

They had gotten a sighting report an hour ago. Misato judged it a 'probable' actual demon rather than a crank call, due to both disappearances being reported in the area and other, unconfiirmed sightings. So they were loaded into the van and headed out.

"Why couldn't we have just gotten sloshed like Mari?" Asuka added wryly. The third Hunter had hit the New Years booze early, and had been declared unfit for duty by Ritsuko.

"Because I don't really like drinking and vodka makes you sick," Mayumi noted, reminding her of their shared night not that long ago.

"Ugh. Don't remind me," Asuka sighed.

All three paused as they heard a wet, breaking noise. "And here we go," Mayumi muttered as they advanced to the end of the hall.

They shoved open the door, advancing cautiously into the office. There was a huge desk, a window with a lovely view and a weird mass of writhing tentacles.

"Ewww," Mayumi blurted out.

Reacting with inhuman speed Rei shoved Mayumi aside as several spear-like tentacles lashed out. They ripped into Rei's arm, splashing Mayumi in blood.

"Ugh!" Rei gasped in pain.

Asuka raced in, swinging her sword and cutting the slimy, yet solid material. The ends broke off, then writhed about angrily before more of them shot out.

This time Mayumi was ready, and hacked at the growths with her bastard sword. She and Asuka grimly advanced, chopping and hacking away as they forced their way towards the central mass. Rei recovered and lunged forward, tearing at the thing one handedly.

"We need to get at the core," Mayumi grunted as she batted away an attack.

"I can't FIND it," Asuka growled as she stabbed into the mass of tentacles.

Mayumi chopped away, then grunted, "Rei. Can you pin it!?"

"I will try," Rei answered. She watched as they chopped more tentacles away, then lunged in, grapling with the demon.

After a certain amount of chopping off bits and wresting about, Mayumi managed to stab the core, killing the thing.

"Well, THAT was horrible," Asuka noted. Both women were covered in splatter, and Rei's one arm was hanging limply at her side.

"And it's past midnight," Mayumi noted, checking the digital display on her wrist. "Happy new year," she sighed.

"Happy new year," Asuka sighed too. "Let's call up the cleaning crew and get out of here..."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Rei, head to the labs. Maya and Rotsuko need to look at that arm," Misato ordered briskly once the Hunters returned.

"Yes ma'am," Rei agreed as a staffer led her off.

"You two, into the decontam showers," Misato continued, "you're a mess."

"God yes," Mayumi agreed, her and Asuka shuffling off.

Misato made a mental note to tell the kids they had saved some New Years snacks and stuff for them, once they got out of the showers.

"And we need to have Ritsuko go over you later," Misato called as they walked off.

"Right, right," Asuka agreed tiredly.

Misato called the clean up crew, checking that they had collected the remains without incident. Once that was done, she headed down to the labs.

Rei's severed arm lay on a gurney as Ritsuko attached a regrown arm from the storage tank. In theory they could just pop a 'new' Rei out of the tank, but Misato thought it was better to try to preserve Rei's experience. Plus there was the question of her developing actual personality...

"How are you?" Misato asked gently.

"The pain is managable," Rei answered flatly as Ritsuko finished patching in the new arm. The pale blood and tissue glistened in the light as her flesh knit itself together.

"If sedatives worked on you, I'd sedate you," Ritsuko noted as she finished the connections. "There. How does that feel?" she asked.

Rei lifted her arm, flexing her fingers. "Much better," she noted calmly.

As they were talking Maya returned to the main lab. "Dissection lab is ready," she informed Ritsuko, "once the cleaners bring the subject in."

Misato looked at the severed arm, that was leaking an unhealthy looking green puss. "What...?" she started.

"We think the entity attempted to infect Rei to reproduce," Maya noted. "Thankfully Rei's youkai biology was incompatible with it."

"What would have happened if it had stabbed the Hunters?" Misato had to ask.

"Their armor uniform's emergency systems would probably cut the arm off," Ritsuko mused. "It it stabbed their torso... they'd be dead in minutes."

"Oh joy," Misato deadpanned.

Leaving the lab Misato headed for the showers, meeting Asuka and Mayumi as they were drying off. "Yes?" Asuka asked, noticing she was checking them over.

"Just making sure you're okay," Misato shrugged slightly. Cheerfully she added, "We saved some party snacks and such, in case you still want some..."

"It's been a LONG day," Mayumi sighed. "I think I'll hit the sack."

"Me too," Asuka agreed.

To be continued...


	17. Chapter 17

Demon City Tokyo

Chapter 17

Tokyo Times: January, Mayumi Yamagishi

_I'm really surprised I have to tell people this: DO NOT KEEP DEMONS AS PETS._

_We got a call involving an attack in the apartments in the better part of town. 'Better' meaning high security and more wealthy residents. We went through security only to be stopped by the building manager, who seemed horrified that women with swords would be invading HER building. Apparently there had been yelling in room 3-200, and police were called. They went in, took one look and ran out, before calling in NERV._

_We went upstairs, finding the room which had been sealed off with police tape. Rei lead the way, and quickly found the couple's bodies. Along with what vaguely looked like a Dog Demon. We skewered the thing fairly easily, not that it helped the apartment owners._

_Interviewing other residents we found out the couple had caught the demon and took it home, keeping it in a pen in the spare bedroom. They even showed it off as if it was the latest in exotic pets. But at some point it's instincts took over, broke out and killed them both._

_Luckily it couldn't get out of the apartment or others would have died._

_I repeat: DO NOT KEEP DEMONS AS PETS. It will end badly for you._

"I still can't believe people are that stupid," Mari noted as she read the paper.

"How's that old saying go," Mayumi mused as she ate breakfast, "never underestimate the power of human stupidity?"

Mari snickered loudly.

"Ah, breakfast," Asuka sighed as she walked into the dining hall. "Morning, psycho bitch. Morning, Mayumi."

"Psycho bitch?" Mayumi looked at Mari questioningly. "What did you do THIS time?" she wondered aloud.

"Who says I did ANYTHING?" Mari tried to argue.

Mayumi just gave her a LOOK.

"It was just a friendly sneaking into your bed moment," Mari shrugged.

"And then she booted you right out," Mayumi predicted.

"Yeah," Mari pouted.

Asuka arrived with her tray of food and sat down. "One of these days you are going to try that on someone who is armed," she warned Mari ominously.

"What's life without a bit of danger?" Mari shrugged.

Asuka didn't answer, just growled. She turned to Mayumi, "Congrats on another article getting published."

"Thanks," Mayumi smiled wryly. "The building owners are NOT happy and wrote to my editor to complain about being mentioned," she added.

"They don't want folks knowing their high security building had a breech," Mari guessed, drinking from her cup of tea.

"Exactly," Mayumi agreed.

"Where's Misato?" Asuka changed the subject.

"She's meeting with that new private police service... Yui decided if we're both going to be operating in Tokyo, we need to figure out how best to cooperate," Mari offered.

"Well, more help is always good," Mayumi said a bit dubiously before adding, "assuming they can hack it."

"Coming from 'Miss I Just Joined NERV' that comes across as pretty funny," Asuka teased.

"Yeah, yeah," Mayumi blushed. "Wonder how it's going?" she mused.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

There was a loud stream of curses as the women fled down the alley. "Well, that went well," Misato noted wryly.

"Oh shut up," Kiddy barked, swiftly reloading the oversized pistol.

Mana was keeping pace as she said a bit breathlessly, "Well, I would say the gun test was somewhat unsuccessful."

Before anyone could add any comments the demon crashed into a wall behind them, staggering a bit. The gun had punched a gaping wound in it's side, but surprisingly hadn't slowed it down much. It seemed to shake off a moment of confusion, then hurry after them.

"I think the 'just shoot them' plan isn't working," Misato added.

"Shut up," Kiddy repeated, turning as they ran and getting another shot off. The gun roared, and the bullet blasted another hole in the demon, this time in the torso. The vaguely humanoid staggered, slowing a bit, then the gap began to close up.

"I'll never get used to that," Misato noted flatly.

"Run faster!" Mana ordered, noting the thing was gaining on them.

The three turned another corner, then hurried to the meeting place. Nami and Lebia were both waiting, each carrying swords. "Get past us," Lebia ordered as Nami readied her katana.

As the woman ran by Nami took a calming breath. Gracefully she swung, the sword a silver blur as the sharpened blade took the demon's head clean off.

The demon staggered to a stop, headless. Then in moments the flesh began to break down, the gunshot wounds re-opening. It was fully dead before the hunters caught their breath.

"Everyone all right?" Nami asked mildly.

"No, I'm embarrassed and pissed off," Kiddy growled.

"Physically all right?" Nami clarified.

"We're fine," Misato smiled wryly, "nicely done."

"So we call NERV for a containment team?" Mana suggested.

"That would be the plan," Misato agreed as she took out her portable phone and called.

"I really thought the 'hunting pistol' would be powerful enough to work," Kiddy grumbled.

"There there," Mana patted her arm.

Putting her phone away Misato noted, "If it helps, the gun did slow it down. That would be useful in certain situations."

"You're just trying to make me feel better," Kiddy noted wryly.

"Is it working?" Misato teased.

After the NERV team helped collect the body, Lebia thankjed Misato for coming out with them. "Sorry things didn't do quite as well as we planned," she noted.

Kiddy grunted.

"It went well. We all made it out alive," Misato offered, shaking everyone's hands before she headed off with the NERV squad.

"Whew," Nami sighed once she was gone.

"I notice you didn't use the new railgun," Lebia noted to Kiddy as they headed off too.

"We've got to keep something in reserve," Kiddy shrugged eloquently.

"I need a drink," Mana sighed...

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The labs at NERV headquarters were quiet as Ritsuko sat in her office, reviewing the files.

"Miss Akagi, I'm heading home. Do you need anything?" Satsuki Ooi asked politely.

Ritsuko smiled, "No, it's fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

Yui was still anemic as hell, annoyingly. Also under weight. It looked like Ritsuko was going to have to stand over her and make her eat some high in iron and protein foods.

In a jar across from her work space, a piece of youkai swam in a jar of perserving fluid. Even in an airless container with nothing to feed on, the organism struggled to live. It was beautiful, in a disturbing way.

"Rits-chan!" Misato called cheerfully.

"I see you survived your excursion with the AMP," Ritsuko noted.

"Barely," Misato noted. She then gave a blow by blow account of the demon, the shooting incident and all.

"And we're going to have to WORK with these yahoos?" Ritsuko snorted.

"Eh. They're reasonably competant," Misato admitted. "And I wonder if their screwing about was staged a bit, too," she added.

"Let's not get too paranoid," Ritsuko noted. "Checked in with Yui yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, After thanking me, she sent me home," Misato admitted. "Wanna go grab some dinner?"

Ritsuko thought about the paperwork she still had to do. On the other had, it was late and she WAS hungry... "Oh, what the hell," she agreed.

To be continued...

Notes: I'm still batting around how much Ritsuko knows on what Yui is up to. As chief medical officer she HAS to know some, but obviously not about Lilith in the basement. There's also how does her mom Naoko tie into this?


	18. Chapter 18

Demon City Tokyo

Chapter Seventeen

Lilith lay in her bed chambers under NERV, casually eating a whole chicken. And raw chicken, at that.

"We could cook it for you," Yui winced as Lilith popped a bleeding bit into her mouth.

"You humans are SO squeamish," Lilith laughed.

"Lorenz Keel was scouting around Japan before he died," Yui said with an artificial sort of calm, "visiting shrines. Do you know what he was looking for?"

Lilith looked amused as she pointed out, "Looking for me, probably. He was unaware you had already found me, dear."

Yui paused as she digested that fact. Annoyingly, she should have thought of that... "Are there other entities like you out there?" she asked.

"No," Lilith grinned savagely, "I ate them."

Yui decided she wasn't going to follow up on THAT fact.

"How did the youkai I made based on Ritsuko turn out?" Lilith asked curiously.

"She's a good lab tech, but she lacks the... viciousness needed in a field agent," Yui admitted with a sigh.

"I did warn you," Lilith noted. She casually finished off the chicken then burped.

"I need more Rei youkai," Yui sighed.

Lilith stretched out her arms, "I'll need your blood, mistress..."

Yui made a face but crawled up onto the bed with her. "Easy on the blood," she added, "Ritsuko is already unhappy I'm so anemic."

"We all must make sacrifices," Lilith looked amused as she bit.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Mari was laughing, loudly, as she read something. She was sitting in the rec room, one of several places the Hunters had to rest and relax between missions.

"What's so funny?" Asuka asked, having come in from sparing with Rei. Fighting a youkai like Rei was the closest she could get to fighting a youma.

"The latest dojin from comiket," Mari waved the manga towards Asuka.

"What have they done THIS time?" Asuka demanded, then made a choking noise as she saw the front cover.

Mari, Asuka and Mayumi, in their combat suits, in bed.

"GIVE ME THAT," Asuka snatched it from her hands.

"Pushy pushy," Mari smirked.

It was about as bad as she expected, a 'plot? What plot?' sex-capade where, for no good reason, they tore each other's clothes off and had sex. And apparently they ALL got boob jobs, because other than Mayumi none of them were stacked like that.

"Hot, huh?" Mari teased.

"Are kidding me?" Asuka glared at her.

Mari just laughed, again. "Do you think Mayumi's seen it yet?" she asked.

There was a mostly inarticulate scream of rage from another part of the building.

"I'd say yes..," Asuka sighed.

Yui looked up as Mayumi barged into her office. Her secretary Yuki Nagato looked apologetic, "I couldn't stop her, ma'am..."

"It's okay," Yui waved a bit tiredly.

"DID YOU SEE THIS?" Mayumi yelped, slapping the dojin down on her desk. It flopped open to one of the more graphic pages.

"Do you want me to rate this on content or style?" Yui quipped. She looked at the picture again, "Actually, I'm not sure you can bend like that."

Mayumi snorted in amusement. "I can't believe this," she sighed, deflating a bit.

"Sorry," Yui apologized. "I think Asuka mentioned this had happened to her too?" she added.

"She did," Mayumi admitted. She looked at the slightly lurid book as she added, "I assume there's not much we can do?"

"We could take them to court over this," Yui admitted, "but it would be massively time consuming, especially considering that many of the authors publish under pen-names. I'm not sure it's really worth the effort."

Mayumi smiled faintly, "Would it sway you knowing you're in this too?"

"What." Yui blinked.

"There's a second story with you, Ritsuko and Misato," Mayumi flipped to the back.

Yui blinked. "I don't know if I should be complimented or disturbed...," she noted. "Can I keep this?" she asked.

"Sure, why not," Mayumi sighed. She paused, an odd look on her face.

"What?" Yui asked.

"What am I going to do when my family finds out about this?" Mayumi groaned.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"BWA HA HA HA!"

"Stop LAUGHING, Misato," Yui ordered.

Ritsuko was also flipping through the dojin, looking amused. "Is that position even POSSIBLE?" she mused, tilting the book sideways.

"Wanna try it out?" Misato teased.

"You're not that limber," Ritsuko noted.

Misato just laughed, again.

Yui rolled her eyes. "We all know Mari has gotten a hold of this. Knowing her she'll take the best pictures, blow them up and post them around the base," she sighed.

"I'd take that as a compliment," Ritsuko shrugged.

"I'm assuming we can't do anything about it?" Misato asked curiously.

"Mayumi also asked that," Yui admitted. "not really. With how the law is written in Japan, and dojin's have usually been allowed so..." She shrugged eloquently.

"Huh," Misato sighed.

"We're still in discussions with gthe AMP on how we'll be cooperating," Yui changed the subject, "Misato, what was your impression of them?"

"They're more competant than they want us to think," Misato noted. She added, "They set that whole scenario up, including being ready to put the youma down."

"So why use a gun, then?" Ritsuko asked.

"They probably have a gun that they think will work, and plan to surprise us with it," Misato said seriously.

Ritsuko looked at Yui, "Is that possible?"

Yui decided to be honest. "In our tests, the weapons that could do any damage to a youma were completely impractical for field use," she admitted. "Basically, anti-tank weapons."

"Huh." Misato digested that.

"So we could use vehicle mounted weapons to kill them?" Ritsuko asked dangerously.

"Considering how often we have to chase them through buildings and other indoors...," Misato observed mildly.

"Point," Ritsuko conceded, but she still looked unhappy.

Yui nodded as she said, "It appears we have to assume they have something new that they think will do the job."

"Looks like it. I guess we'll have to wait and see," Misato agreed.

Changing the subject Ritsuko said, "I looked at your latest blood tests, Yui. You're still dangerously anemic."

"I...," Yui started.

Misato ignored her, "So Rits and I are taking you out."

"What." Yui blinked.

"We're gtaking you to lone od the few open restjurants and feeding you an iron rich meal," Ritsuko said firmly. Yui tried to argue and she continued, "Doctor's orders."

Yui looked at her and Misato, realizing both women looked very determined. And it wasn't like she could tell them that Lilith was draining her blood (and sometimes flesh) to create new youkai.

"Come on," Misato offered her hand.

Yui took it and got up, following the two out of her office. "It better not be a noodle stand," she added, looking at Misato.

"I only did that once!" Misato pouted.

To be continued...

Notes: I'm not totally sure how legal it would be to include 'real' people in a manga. I understand Trump's son got a manga, as an example... and I suspect it might be considered Fair Use as a parody.


	19. Chapter 19

Demon City Tokyo

Chapter 19

**Video File: Briefing on the Demon Invasion, 2008**

"First of all, calling them 'demons' is in fact inaccurate, and might even lead to mistakes," Yui Ikari admitted. "They are in fact aliens, creatures from a parallel Earth that evolved along wildly different lines."

On the screen behind her an image came up of a vaguely humanoid thing. It was gangly, with a face that sort of resembled a bird mask. It's hands were clawed, and dripped with unidentified gore. It was also damn fast, suddenly charging right at whomever was filming it, ending the video clip in a burst of static.

"This is the most common 'warrior' mode we've seen them adopt," Yui noted as the film ended. "It's the one we've seen most often, so far. They are functionally invulnerable to projectile weapons, as well as hugely strong and durable."

"No, we don't know why swords work," Yui answered, "it could be their flesh reacts differently to cutting rather than explosive force." She sighed, "I hate to bring in mythology, but iron supposedly hurts otherworldly things..."

A question was asked and she continued, "No, we don't yet understand their biology. Out attempts to dissect and study them tend to destroy our instruments. And in a few labs, subjects we've thought dead have revived on us."

Yui sighed, "Death, for these things, doesn't seem to mirror what happens with us. We've had reports of these things coming back from massive damage. A human would be dead and in pieces." Grimly she continued, "Destroying the core works. And, somewhat, decapitation."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"Huh," Rally Cheyenne shut the recording off. The silver haired woman turned to look at her staff, the women sitting around the table.

It was interesting that, despite years of research and billions spent, there still had been no progress in studying the demons. Though admittedly, the focus had been more on killing the things, rather than study. Still...

"Is it true the portal they came through in Antarctica is still open?" Kiddy Phenil asked, the redhead frowning slightly.

"We think so," Lebia Maverick answered her cautiously, "though no one can get near the site due to the huge storms."

The portal between Earth and the other dimension had stayed open, even after the first wave of monsters hit. Since then a trickle of creatures continued to come through, along with a steady flow of much hotter air. That constant added heat hitting the cold air of the Arctic generated massive storms, as well as screwing up the environment. Weather patterns were changed globaly...

"I'm surprised someone hasn't just nuked it," Kiddy added.

"We have no idea what that would do to the portal," Nami Yamigumo pointed out, "it MIGHT close it... or it might blow it wide open." The shinto priestess looked like a character from an old TV show in her robes, but she was quite sharp.

"Exactly," Rally agreed, "the USA has suggested doing just that, but as we don't know what might happen they've held off."

No one mentioned that the only ones who might know what bombing the portal would do were the SEELE cultists. Sadly they appeared to all be dead, killed by angry mobs when their names were leaked. The last known survivor, Lorenz Keel, had died in Tokyo under mysterious circumstances.

Rally, despite being Keel's kin, also didn't know anything. Worse, the various tomes and such Keel had used had been destroyed when his fortress-like home in Germany burnt down. She suspected Yui Ikari knew more than she let on, but again... she couldn't prove it.

Yuki Saiko returned with coffee for everyone, then the younger woman sat, her long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She was a telekinetic, quite strong too, but was nervous about trying her powers on actual demons.

"So, starting tomorrow we stop pretending to be regular cops and go full demon hunter?" Lum Cheng asked, the chinese sword user looking eager.

"That's why they've kept us off the street so far," Katsumi Liqueur agreed, the black haired woman smiling grimly.

Katsumi's father, Gigelf, had also been in the SEELE cult with Rally's father. According to papers he left, Gigelf had thought the spells they were casting would help the world. Or so he claimed, Personally Katsumi thought he was either a dupe or a liar.

"So, when are we going to tell NERV we're ready to hunt demons?" Mana Isozaki, their second in command, asked the boss Rally.

Rally smiled wryly, "Probably around the time we start using the railgun handgun."

"Ikari will be very upset," Yuki noted mildly.

"I almost wish we could be there to see her reaction," Kiddy snarked.

"Remember, we're officially working with NERV," Rally reminded them all. "We haven't proved Ikari is behind anything illegal."

"Haven't proved it yet," Lebia added.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The eco-crazies and other protesters were around NERV Tokyo again.

It was weird seeing the various groups with all the different signs. There was the religious group that thought NERV was allied with Satan, or more precisely the Whore of Babylon. Animal rights protesters picketed to save demons, oddly enough. And there were groups that objected to the 'obscene' spending NERV did.

Sister Hikari Horaki was there, along with the delegation from the local church. She had joined the order two years ago, after something happened inside NERV. Hikari had been working as a staffer in NERV Tokyo, when running an errand for Yui she accidentally ended up in the subbasements of the building. She didn't remember what she found there... but she had been left gibbering incoherently, whatever happened.

"Repent! Repent from serving the Whore of Babylon!" Hikari yelled, waving a sign.

"Hikari?" a nervous voice asked.

Hikari turned, the young nun blinking. "Kensuke?" she asked, recognizing the boy.

"Hey," Ken Aida smiled back tentatively. "Been awhile."

"It has," Hikari conceded. "I had heard you had some problems," she noted bluntly, "is everything all right now?"

"I'm getting there," Ken admitted. He hesitated then just decided to ask, "I was wondering if you knew what happened to Toji?"

Hikari gave him a sympathetic look, "Yes, you left before he got out of hospital."

Ken flushed a bit.

Mercifully Hikari continued, "His dad got him and his sister out of Tokyo. I think they're in Hokkaido, now..."

"Ah," Ken looked relieved, oddly enough. He explained, "I'm glad they're not here, at least."

The young nun smiled wryly, "Agreed." She scowled at the NERV pyramid as she added, I think Mr Susubara is still working in that monument to evil. You may be able to get Toji's contact information from him."

'Monument to evil?' Ken blinked to himself. Aloud he asked, her "You REALLY don't like NERV, do you?"

"No. They are crossing lines man was not meant to cross," Hikari said firmly.

"Well," Ken bowed to her a bit, "thank you for your help."

"You're welcome," Hikari smiled, then passed him a piece of paper, "take a pamphlet, too."

"Ah, right," Ken agreed.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

"I STILL find the protesters creepy and weird," Mayumi Yamagashi noted as she drank from a cup of coffee.

She and Mari had been out late last night dealing with a demon hunt, and she had only woken up a little while ago. Demons in general seemed to be mostly nocturnal, though no one was sure exactly why that was.

"Mayumi," Asuka Soryu Langley nodded a tired greeting. She was on her period, so there was no hunting for her. The demons seemed to be able to smell menstrual blood. Worse, the Rei tended to react to it unpredictably.

"Feeling better?" Mayumi asked.

"Very shitty, frankly. Even if I wasn't on hold for hunting, I wouldn't want to go out anyway," Asuka admitted.

"Tylenol?" Mayumi offered.

"I'm already dosed up," Asuka smiled at her, "but thank for the offer. Been up long?"

"Just half an hour or so. My second cup of coffee is starting to kick in," Mayumi held up her cup with a smile.

"How did last night go?" Asuka asked.

"Well, Mari grand standed as usual," Mayumi admitted, "but other than that we managed. It was a generic warrior type."

"Hmm," Asuka sighed. "It still bugs me we haven't found that demon that was nesting," she muttered thoughtfully.

Mayumi nodded slightly. They had swept the area, several times, but had no luck finding the demon. Worse, they both knew that left alone, such a creature would continue to kill.

(Ironically, they were unaware that AMP had actually captured the Demon, and were using it as a weapons test subject. It had died in captivity after being decapitated by Mana, but the NERV agents would remain unaware.)

"And I want to know if they found anything out about the head, too," Mayumi added, being somewhat more interested in the story.

Asuna looked at her curiously, "Gotten breakfast yer?" When Mayumi shook her head Asuna cheerfully continued, "Well, you get that, I'll get lunch and we'll talk."

"Lets," Mayumi agreed.

To be continued...


	20. Chapter 20

Demon City Tokyo

Chapter 20

The AMP Press conference was well attended. Rally introduced her organization, emphasized that they planned to work with NERV and demonstrated via video the new Youma killing weapon that they planned to use.

“What is THAT?” Asuka demanded, the chiefs of NERV staff and the three Hunters watching the footage.

In the video Kiddy aimed and pulled the trigger of the bulky pistol. It crackled with lightning as it fired, then the bullet blew a huge hole in the immobilized Youma.

“And can I get one?” Mari asked eagerly.

“MARI,” Asuka sighed.

“It’s an electromagnetic pistol, a railgun basically,” Ritsuko noted. “I’m surprised it doesn’t need a longer barrel, though,” she muttered.

“I thought you said guns don’t work?” Asuka challenged Yui.

“Conventional guns don’t,” Yui corrected flatly.

“That bullet exploded too,” Misato noted as she rewound the images.

Mayumi sighed, “I wish I was there covering that....”

Asuka patted her arm as she said, “Sorry, you and Mari are on call until my period ends.”

“So are we switching to guns too?” Mari asked.

“We fight the Youma in close quarters too often. Guns wouldn’t be practical,” Yui shook her head. She looked over at Misato, “Besides, I think that gun has issues.”

Misato quickly cautioned them, “I am not a weapon expert, despite my military experience.” After that she continued, “I noticed it has a power cable connecting to a back pack. It must take a lot of juice to fire.”

“Very likely,” Ritsuko agreed, adding thoughtfully, “it may be how they’re making up for it being pistol sized too.”

“I saw no clip or other ammo container, and from the size of the muzzle it’s firing big bullets. They may be one shot, then reload,” Misato mused.

“That would be a bitch if you fumbled your shot,” Mari noted.

“Could carry multiple, pre-loaded guns but...yeah,” Asuka said.

“Now, this is not a standard gun, correct?” Mayumi asked thoughtfully.

“Correct,” Misato agreed.

“So the bullets and gun are all prototypes. And if there’s a manufacture failure... you’re hosed?” Mayumi mused.

“Exactly,” Misato agreed.

“Can I go over this with you later?” Mayumi asked, “I think I feel a story coming on.”

Misato looked at Yui, “Sure, go ahead.”

As the two women left Asuka frowned. She had wanted to ask Mayumi out for coffee or something... guess not.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

“ **Portable Railgun** ” the newspaper headline read the next day, “ **Miracle Weapon or Accident Waiting to Happen?** ”

“I’m REALLY beginning to dislike this reporter,” Kiddy growled as she crumpled the paper in her hands then threw it in the trash.

“I though you already hated her?” Nami noted mildly.

“I hate her MORE,” Kiddy grumped.

Lebia sighed, “Calm down. It’s not like it’s a hit piece or deliberately inaccurate. We’ve had all the problems she suggested.”

Kiddy growled but couldn’t really argue.

The new gun was, to be blunt, rather finicky. The ‘railgun’ mechanism could break. The power cables could go. The bullets could not detonate on impact. The bullets could JAM in the barrel, which usually resulted in the gun EXPLODING. So far, Kiddy and Lebia were the only ones crazy enough to actually use the gun.

“We’ll work the bugs out, in a year everyone will want one,” Kiddy pouted.

Nami snorted at that.

“All right everyone,” Rally said briskly, “the press conference went well, and we’ve gotten feelers about operating in other cities.”

“How many dried up after that article?” Kiddy grumbled.

Rally ignored that. “We’ve made arrangements to deploy with NERV the next time a Youma appears,” she added.

“And won’t that be fun,” Nami murmured.

“I expect everyone to be professional,” Rally finished.

Lebia and Kiddy exchanged a look as the boss left. “I need a drink,” Kiddy sighed.

“Right there with ya...,” Lebia also sighed.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The bar that the undercover AMP opened in Tokyo was still thriving, interestingly enough. People needed to drink, and they provided beer and semi-illegal booze at reasonable prices. And the city would rather have an illegal bar they could keep a eye on, rather than close it and have another pop up they didn’t know about.

“NO, I will NOT talk like a stereotypical Chinese,” Lum Cheng growled, the muscular young woman scowling. She had taken over tending bar as her seniors were now actively monster hunting. It was annoying....

“Do you want her to kick your ass?” Robert DeVice added, the bouncer kind of looming over the dude.

“Not even a ‘no-dah?” the weasily man asked.

They chucked him out after that.

“Fuck I need a drink,” Mari noted as she walked up to the bar.

“You,” Lum scowled.

“Me,” Mari agreed as she put money on the counter. “Beer me.”

With a frown, Lum poured the other woman a beer. “Aren’t you supposed to be on monster hunting duty?” she asked.

“They can page me,” Mari shrugged casually.

Mari sat down at one of the bar stools and checked out the action. Sadly it was mostly just geezers, NERV staff, city officials and an undercover cop. Seriously, lady, no one wears shoes like THAT to a illegal bar.

Nice body tho.

The cop noticed Mari looking and flinched a bit. Yup, total rookie. Mari lazily, sexily licked her lips, and the woman blushed furiously.

Lum forcefully wiped down the bar, scowling, and Mari smirked back. Lum blushed a bit and then looked away.

A few weeks ago, she and Lum had been the last ones in the bar. After an evening of flirting and snarking, they ended up back at Lum’s apartment. Turns out the woman was a WILDCAT in bed. They ended up doing it for hours. Top it off, Lum liked being spanked....

“Don’t get any ideas,” Lum threatened.

Mari suggestively slapped her hand on the counter, and Lum glared at her.

(Mari hung out until closing, she and Lum left together and ended up hate-fucking until dawn.)

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

In her chambers under NERV, Lilith felt amusement as she ‘saw’ Lum and Mari going at it.

In theory, Lilith was confined under NERV, sealed in these special chambers Yui built and had mystically warded by Shinto, Buddhists and Christian priests.

In practice, not so much.

Each Yokai she and Yui created was her flesh and blood, too. So they carried her essence out into the city, as well as anywhere else the hunters went.

There were places she couldn’t ‘see’ into. Sister Hikari Horaki cleaned her family apartment so religiously (heh) that not a cell of Lilith had entered. But generally she could see into almost any home and watch the goings on. And even push people’s behaviours a bit.

Lust, she found, was a heady drink, especially from humans. It was really astonishing how easily you could lead these supposedly wise beings around by their gonads.

Out in Tokyo, the Mayor was engaging in an affair, despite being married. Rally Cheyenne would find out about it, and hold it over his head.

Ritsuko Akagi would, every few weeks, meet with a high class prostitute for ‘stress relief’. Said woman would dress in a relica of a Hunter’s uniform, and top her.

Katsumi of the AMP had a healthy and vigorous sex life with her boyfriend, Robert. She ALSO had vigorous sex with her co-worker, Kiddy, whom Robert was unaware of. Kiddy WAS aware of him, and wasn’t sure how she felt being the ‘other woman’....

Lilith was also PROFOUNDLY amused by Asuka and Mayumi’s clumsy courtship. She was deliberately not messing with them just because the awkwardness was so funny.

The elevator pinged, and Lilith grinned. Yui was coming... even more fun.

To be continued....

Notes: I have this kind of silly mental image of Lilith eating popcorn while watching the romantic goings on.


End file.
